CANCER SCREENING – a new player just arrived in the game!
Meet “Galleri” a multi-cancer early detection test.
***Disclaimer- STAT Wellness and all its representatives recommend adherence to routine cancer screening guidelines as put forth by the governing medical bodies. ***
According to the CDC, Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in America- the toll is about 600,000 people per year. This is second only to Cardiovascular Disease at 700,000 cases per year.
1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.
5-10% of cancers are inherited. That means most of the risk is our lifestyle and environment.
THE PROBLEM- EARLY DETECTION
The biggest issue with cancer is that for many people it is caught too late- after it has spread from a single site (stage 1) to surrounding lymph nodes (Stage 3) or metastasized to other areas of the body (stage 4).
Stage 1 cancer has a remarkably higher treatment efficacy and survival rate compared to stage 4. Therefore, early detection is the most critical factor in the game.
There are over 100 cancers known at this point, but the kicker is that most people are only being screened for a handful of them: breast (mammogram), colorectal (colonoscopy), prostate (PSA or DRE), lung (CT scan if history of smoking), cervical (PAP smear), and skin (Dermatologist evaluates and biopsy).
While it’s super critical that we focus on these cancers, the problem here is that only 30% of cancer deaths are from these cancers. This means 70% of cancer deaths come from cancers that are not routinely screened for, which often means they are found at later stages when they are causing more severe symptoms throughout the body.
So the question is, how do we detect more cancers, and how do we detect them sooner at earlier stages?
This is what the team who developed the Galleri multi-cancer early detection test set out to do. With the application of AI assisted computer learning, scientists have figured out a way to do cancer screening through a blood test.
CELL FREE DNA
All cells in our body break down and are shed/recycled regularly. These cellular fragments often end up in our blood stream, where they are trafficked to various organs, such as the liver, spleen, and lymphatic system for recycling or elimination.
What makes cancer cells unique and dangerous is that they often replicate very quickly and separately from surrounding tissues, hence the growth of tumors/masses that are different from the tissues around them. Part of this mechanism is that there have been mutations in the DNA methylation patterns of the cancer cells which prevent our body from keeping them in check.
Where this plays to our advantage is that these cancer cells not only replicate quickly, but they also die off much more quickly. The cellular fragments, including the cancer DNA, are released into our blood stream.
Because the DNA Methylation patterns of cancer cells look different from normal healthy cells, scientists have discovered unique cancer signals or signatures written into the code of that DNA. With this technology, and in just 2 tubes of blood, the Galleri test can be run to search for cell free DNA of just over 50 of the most rapidly growing and dangerous types of cancer.
It is really quite a remarkable and almost poetic advance in science- that the thing which makes cancer so dangerous and hard to diagnose and treat- its DNA methylation mutations and rapid cell growth and death – are the very things that allow us to detect it and treat it much earlier!
You can see which cancers Galleri screens for HERE.
WHO IS THIS TEST RIGHT FOR?
You cannot be pregnant.
You must be over 21.
You must not be actively undergoing cancer treatment.
Otherwise this test is approved for everyone else.
If you have a strong family history of cancers that are not routinely screened for (breast, colon, prostate, cervical, lung, skin) then this would certainly be worth discussing with your STAT Wellness Provider.
For example, certain cancers like Bile Duct, Liver, Pancreatic, and Gall bladder are often diagnosed very late and very rapidly progressing.
The reality though is that only 5-10% of cancers are inherited so screening would be a consideration for everyone.
NEXT STEPS
If you would like to learn more about the Galleri test you can talk to your provider if you are already a patient at STAT, or call our office at 404-254-5905 and schedule a Free 15 minute chat with one of our Functional Medicine Providers.
