While blood tests for the early detection of multiple cancers, also known as liquid biopsies, are still poised to revolutionize medicine as we know it. They can screen for dozens of cancers from a single blood draw. The power and potential of this technology in detecting cancer and improving patient outcomes have been closely seen.

Leaders in the early detection of multiple cancers include

Grail

Exact Sciences

Freenome

Delfi Diagnostics

Anyone with $1,000 can order the Grail Galleri test and screen for more than 50 types of cancer. However, these tests still have high false negative rates for most types of cancer. However, there have been many success stories, as these tests have identified cancers early, leading to prompt diagnoses and successful treatments. The future of cancer screening appears to lie in the realm of blood-based tests for the early detection of multiple cancers.

But with these tests taking center stage, one wonders who has access to them. at present

While the United States is a giant innovating biotechnology, supplying drugs and tests around the world, it also leads to disparities in health care. A high proportion of uninsured individuals and communities who lack basic health care needs develop preventable health problems and increased mortality rates.

Addressing these disparities head-on is imperative.

1. Clinical trials need to be done more to include disadvantaged populations. It must extend beyond prestigious academic cancer centers to include community practice centers. In this way, our underserved populations can be better integrated into the game-changing clinical trial engine driving global cancer care.

2- We need comprehensive healthcare awareness campaigns targeting community centers in underprivileged communities. Such campaigns should encourage regular visits to primary care physicians and provide information about upcoming technologies, including blood tests for the early detection of multiple cancers.

3- We must build trust within these communities. This can be achieved by educating more doctors and nurses who come from minorities and persuading them to practice within these communities. This approach will contribute to the growth of confidence from within.

4. The biotech companies themselves need to make a concerted effort to popularize their tests. They should lower prices and work with regulators to defend Medicare and insurance coverage. This will ensure that early detection tests for multiple cancers are available to everyone, rather than just the rich and well-educated.

The future looks bright, and America remains a powerful force in healthcare innovation, investing billions of taxpayer dollars in the effort. These innovations have been game-changers, as we witnessed during the recent pandemic, as American innovation led the way in the development of Covid tests and vaccines.

With cancer being a leading cause of death worldwide, affecting even the young, and with blood-based tests for early detection of multiple cancers looming, we must remain aware of and address these healthcare inequities head-on.