The Battle Before the Cure: Why Early Cancer Diagnosis is as Critical as Breakthrough Treatments

Where would our world be without firefighters? They bravely put out fires that could destroy a house and save people’s lives. Appropriately, rescue missions like those are worthy of local TV news coverage. However, have you ever thought wouldn’t it be nice if something alarmed us when a fire was slowly smoldering in the corner of a house or was just barely visible? Of course I am talking about those “annoying” smoke detectors that help detect fires before they become uncontrollable. That is the essence of early cancer detection—it’s a powerful tool that stops a destructive force before it causes irreversible damage. Like firefighting, while medical breakthroughs and cures often grab headlines, the unsung hero in the fight against cancer is catching it early. The Acronym decided to shine a spotlight on why early detection is just as important as any new cure.

For someone seeking treatment for cancer, time is their biggest ally. Metastasis, or the spread of cancer cells to areas other than the tumor, can be prevented if cancer is diagnosed early on. Early detection—before cancer has grown too large—gives patients a far greater chance of surviving the disease. For example, the five year survival rate for lung cancer can be as high as 57%, compared to a devastating 3% rate when diagnosed during Stage 4, according to a study done in the UK. Similarly, University of Texas’s MD Anderson Cancer Center’s breast cancer patients survival rate was a mere 25% from 1944-54 before routine screening processes that aid in early diagnosis existed. This compares with a 99% survival rate when the cancer is diagnosed early and has not metastasized or spread outside the breast.  The statistics are clear: finding cancer early significantly increases the odds of survival. And these aren’t just numbers. They represent real people—moms, dads, friends, teachers—whose lives could be saved if their cancer is diagnosed in time. I would argue this is an area that is most effective in bending the curve of rising cancer deaths, at least in the near future.  

Early diagnoses also make treatment easier and less costly. Treating early-stage cancer is also associated with fewer side effects, shorter hospital stays, and a lower emotional and financial burden. For example, early-stage breast cancer might only require a quick surgery and localized radiation, while late-stage cancer often involves debilitating procedures such as long term chemotherapy or immunotherapy. From an economic perspective, World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the overall cost of cancer, including healthcare expenses and loss of productivity, can be more than a Trillion dollars (yes, that’s a trillion with an uppercase T). Furthermore, WHO estimates early diagnoses can be 2-4x less expensive in healthcare cost than if cancer is diagnosed in advanced stages. In today’s healthcare system, where costs are skyrocketing, finding cancer early helps patients avoid not just painful treatments but also financial hardships.

Now that we know how important early cancer diagnoses are, let’s look at some of the miraculous technology advancements that are also accurate and less invasive. Some of the latest advancements that can make a significant difference are:  

1. Liquid Biopsy: Currently biopsy (study of live tissue extracted from suspected area) is the most common and conclusive cancer diagnoses tool. However, it’s an incredibly invasive procedure which is extremely painful and often causes a bloody mess for patients. Liquid biopsy has potential to change all of that. It can detect traces of certain cancer in the bloodstream which can be assessed through a blood sample.  
2. AI-Powered Imaging: An area I think has the most potential—AI models can be trained to analyze medical images like X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans and look for a specific cancer type. While accuracy rate of these models is a concern, with ever improving AI capabilities and investments in the area, AI models could become as (or more) accurate as biopsy procedures which when happens will be transformative for cancer diagnoses.  
3. Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Tests: These tests have the potential to find more than one type of cancer from a single sample of blood. The blood sample is tested for certain pieces of DNA or proteins from cancer cells. If these are found, it might mean that the person has cancer, and it might also show which organ the cancer started in.  

These advances are not just about being faster or easier—they are about finding cancer when it’s still small, still treatable, and when patients have more options for less aggressive treatments. This can literally change the world—even if we are able to save 10% of lives, that’s more than 60,000 American lives a year. Overall, while the search for a cure for cancer will continue to inspire hope and drive innovation, we must not overlook the power of early detection. It’s about finding the cancer—early, when it’s easiest to defeat. Every day, advancements in early detection are making this possible, saving lives one early diagnosis at a time.