The Latest Tool in the Fight Against Cancer
Cancer hits union members especially hard. Many jobs with strong union representation are associated with increased risk of the disease due to occupational exposure to known carcinogens. Cancer detection is a priority that transcends union members’ demographics, appealing to both veteran and younger members attracted to unions by steady jobs with excellent benefits. At the same time, older union members are squarely in cancer’s crosshairs, because advancing age is the most important risk factor(1) for the disease: the risk of getting cancer is 13X higher in people over 50 years old(2). In this article, learn more about new technology that has enabled a groundbreaking way to detect a shared cancer signal across more than 50 different types of cancer(3) by analyzing methylation patterns of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the bloodstream using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and machine learning algorithms.
- https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/age
- Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program (www.seer.cancer.gov) SEER*Stat Database Incidence – SEER Research Limited-Field Data, 21 Registries, Nov 2020 Sub (2000-2018) – Linked To County Attributes -Time Dependent (1990-2018) Income/Rurality, 1969-2019 Counties, National Cancer Institute, DCCPS, Surveillance Research Program, released April 2021, based on the November 2020 submission. Risk Factor Data on file: American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Studies II/III)
- Klein E et al. Clinical validation of a targeted methylation-based multi-cancer early detection test. Oral presentation at: American Association for Cancer Research; April, 2021; LB013. The Galleri test does not detect all cancers and should be used in addition to, and not instead of, routine cancer screening tests recommended by clinical guideline organizations such as the American Cancer Society or the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
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