Screening & Early Detection - Cancer Currents Blog
News about research on cancer screening and early detection. Includes stories on the impact of screening, new technologies, and approaches to improving the safety and efficacy of screening.
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Cancer Screening Guidelines Often Lack Information on Potential Harms, Study FindsIn a review of 33 cancer screening guidelines, researchers have found that many don’t adequately capture the potential harms of cancer screening. Providing information on harms is critical so people can have informed discussions about screening with their health care providers, the researchers noted.
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Working to Close the Cancer Screening Gap Caused by COVIDMany hospitals and community health centers are trying to increase cancer screening rates after the COVID pandemic caused them to plummet. The largest effort aims to add a total of 70,000 additional monthly screening tests over a 6-month period.
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Colonoscopy after Positive FIT Test Cuts Risk of Colorectal Cancer DeathPeople who had a positive FIT result (signs of blood in the stool) but didn’t get a follow-up colonoscopy were twice as likely to die of colorectal cancer as those who did get a colonoscopy, a new study found.
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Study Adds to Debate about Screening for MelanomaRegular skin cancer screening leads to many diagnoses of very early-stage melanomas, results from a new study suggest. The results add to a debate about whether screening is fueling an overdiagnosis of melanoma in the United States.
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Screening for Many Cancers with One Test: Uncertainty AboundsProgress has been made on developing noninvasive tests that may be able to find many cancers early. But, as NCI’s Dr. Phil Castle explains, there’s still much to learn about these multi-cancer early detection tests before they become widely used.
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Can Artificial Intelligence Help See Cancer in New, and Better, Ways?Researchers have been developing artificial intelligence (AI) tools that could make cancer imaging faster, more accurate, and more informative. But there are also questions about whether these tools are ready for doctors’ offices, whether they will actually help people, and whether that benefit will reach all—or only some—patients.
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Why Are Many Women Overdue for Cervical Cancer Screening?The rates of timely cervical cancer screening fell between 2005 and 2019, researchers found, and disparities existed among groups of women. The most common reason for not receiving timely screening was lack of knowledge about screening or not knowing they needed screening.
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New Risk Model Aims to Reduce Breast Cancer Disparities in Black WomenMost breast cancer risk tools were developed with data mainly from White women and don’t work as well for Black women. A new tool that estimates risk for Black women may help identify those who might benefit from earlier screening, enabling earlier diagnosis and treatment.
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Why Have Thyroid Cancer Diagnoses Spiked for US Women?Women are far more likely than men to be diagnosed with small thyroid cancers that probably would have never caused problems during their lifetime, a new study finds. The results may help explain why thyroid cancer seems to be more common in women.
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Advancing Cancer Prevention: A Conversation with NCI’s Dr. Philip CastleThe director of NCI’s Division of Cancer Prevention, Dr. Philip Castle, discusses the division’s priority areas and his vision for making more rapid progress in cancer prevention, including moving toward precision prevention and immunoprevention.
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Could a Diabetes Diagnosis Help Detect Pancreatic Cancer Early?Numerous studies have pointed to a link between new-onset diabetes and pancreatic cancer. Now, several large NCI-supported studies are testing ways to pick out those people whose diabetes might be a sign of early pancreatic cancer, when treatments may be more effective.
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Should People Over Age 75 Be Screened for Colorectal Cancer?Screening people for colorectal cancer after age 75 may be beneficial, a new study suggests. The findings provide helpful information for physicians to use in discussing screening choices with their older patients.
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Texting May Help Reduce Disparities in Colorectal Cancer ScreeningCombining text messaging with mailing people free at-home FIT kits helped increase screening for colorectal cancer among a predominantly Black population, a new study has found. It’s part of a larger effort to reduce disparities in cancer screening.
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For Cancer Screening, COVID-19 Pandemic Creates Obstacles, OpportunitiesAfter a steep drop in screening for common cancers early in the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are now exploring ways to improve cancer screening during the current crisis and beyond.
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ACS’s Updated Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines ExplainedUpdated cervical cancer screening guidelines from the American Cancer Society recommend HPV testing as the preferred approach. NCI’s Dr. Nicolas Wentzensen explains the changes and how they compare with other cervical cancer screening recommendations.
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Many Older Adults Screened Unnecessarily for Common CancersMany older adults are being screened for cancer who no longer need to be, a new study shows. Based on a nationwide survey, the study found that at least half of older US adults had received at least one unnecessary cancer screening test in the previous few years.
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How Does Ovarian Cancer Form? A New Study Points to MicroRNAA microRNA—a molecule made by cells to turn genes on and off—called miR-181a may help high-grade serous ovarian cancer form, a study has found. The scientists think the microRNA could potentially help doctors detect ovarian cancer earlier.
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Liquid Biopsy Detects Brain Cancer and Early-Stage Kidney CancerResults from two studies show that a liquid biopsy that analyzes DNA in blood accurately detected kidney cancer at early and more advanced stages and identified and classified different types of brain tumors.
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Study Examines Whether Blood Test Can Identify Early CancersA blood test combined with imaging tests detected tumors—some at an early stage—in women with no history of cancer or symptoms, a recent study showed. The test also mistakenly indicated some women had cancer when further testing showed they didn't.
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Mapping Cancer Genomic Evolution Offers Insights into Tumor DevelopmentScientists have mapped the evolution of 38 cancer types, noting common gene and protein alterations that occur early, in the middle of, and late in their development. The hope is that these maps create opportunities to identify cancers much earlier.