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Vital Rethink Needed on the Early Diagnosis of Cancer, Says Report

Cancer Research UK has published its Roadmap for the Early Detection and Diagnosis of Cancer. The report says siloed early detection research and development ecosystem, from academia and industry to the health services and policymakers, is hampering progress on the early detection and diagnosis of cancer.

It proposes a series of recommendations to unite sectors, address challenges and make early detection of cancer a routine reality.

The Roadmap calls for significant investment in diagnostic equipment and technologies, along with NHS staff, to support new ways of working and drive the paradigm shift to diagnose more cancers at an earlier stage.

Among actions recommended is creating a 'Digital Health Twin' system – a lifelong personalised digital model mirroring an individual’s health history, updated with each risk, symptom, test and treatment, that would raise a flag for pro-active management.

The report says long timelines and the high cost of research and development, along with unclear regulation and the low price point of diagnostics in the NHS, have resulted in underinvestment in the sector. It calls for a network of NHS-based 'platforms' to be established to design and deliver rapid evaluation and validation of tests.

In a statement, Cancer Research UK said: “By having the right investments and policies in place, the UK has the potential to become a world leader in early detection and diagnosis of cancer, unlocking a major economic growth opportunity for the UK.

The authors hope that the prioritisation of early detection and diagnosis of cancer by scientists, companies, health services and government will create a paradigm shift towards a thriving multidisciplinary ecosystem focussed towards proactively managing patient’s health and well-being, before symptoms arise, rather than treating late stage disease.

This article originally appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.

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