The future of cancer screening and detection

“The first step to solving a problem is recognizing that one exists” is a helpful framework to keep in mind in many domains of life, including in medicine. On the whole, humans are pretty great at identifying problems.

However, there is a notable exception: cancer treatment. Screening for many cancer types continues to be riddled with limitations, barring clinicians and patients alike from quickly understanding the nature and scope of the illnesses’ effects.

As with other health challenges facing society, an aging population will exacerbate the current burden of cancer treatment on the health system. There will soon be a larger number of patients diagnosed with cancer and those who may succumb to the illness. Will there come a time when that’s no longer true?