We will support the development and dissemination of interventions to detect and diagnose early-stage malignancy.

Detecting and diagnosing tumors early in the disease process, before the tumor becomes invasive and metastatic, can dramatically improve the patient's odds for successful treatment and survival and eliminate a large proportion of cancer deaths. For example, evidence suggests that 90 percent or more of colorectal cancer deaths could be prevented if precancerous polyps were detected with routine screening and removed at an early stage. However, the screening rate for colorectal cancer lags far behind that of other cancers, and the disease remains the second leading cause of cancer death in our Nation. For many other cancers - e.g., ovarian and pancreatic - there are no reliable early-stage screening tests to offer patients. For still others, such as lung cancer, screening tests are available but have not been proven to reduce mortality. Furthermore, although investigators continue to make promising discoveries that apply diverse technologies to early cancer detection, few of these advances have reached the patient.

By implementing the focused strategies described below, we will speed the translation of effective early detection and diagnostic approaches to the clinic. Healthcare providers and their patients will have access to sophisticated, minimally invasive procedures that harness imaging, proteomics, nanotechnology, and other advanced early detection and diagnostic techniques as well as improved access to and understanding of follow-up procedures.

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