Early Detection and Intervention Initiative
Early detection of cancer saves lives
Joan McAree knows all too well how important it can be to catch cancer at an early stage.
At her annual gynecologic checkup several years ago, Joan's greatest worry was whether she and her identical twin, Jean Christ, could train hard enough to win their next 10K race. "I thought I was a healthy person," she said. "I ran, I was a ski instructor, I watched what I ate. But as I found out, cancer doesn't play by the rules."
During the exam, Joan's doctor found she had an enlarged ovary. An ultrasound revealed early stage ovarian cancer. Joan had a successful hysterectomy, but five months later her doctor found cancer again — in her left breast. Fortunately, this was also caught early, at a highly treatable stage.
Today, Joan is in good health and leading the active life she loves. Yet she and her twin sister are acutely aware of another potential threat: whether Jean, who shares the same genetic blueprint as Joan, might also face a battle with either or both cancers. But if Jean does develop ovarian cancer, hers may be found far earlier than her sister's disease was — possibly long before the first telltale symptom emerges. Jean participates in a groundbreaking early cancer detection study led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists.
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The single most important step to curing cancer is to catch it early
For many common cancers, when the disease is caught early, nine out of 10 patients can be saved. Unfortunately, tens of thousands of people each year are diagnosed with advanced cancer, and all too often they face painful treatments and poor chances of survival. We are convinced it doesn't have to be that way — and we are determined to change it.
Our Early Detection and Intervention Initiative is dedicated to the discovery of the most effective ways to find and treat cancer at its earliest stages through innovative new technologies far more powerful than current methods. Imagine being able to detect cancer with a simple blood test or taking a new drug that will stop cancer before it starts growing. In fact, this is exactly where our most exciting early detection research is leading us.
Discovering new clues to detecting and treating cancer: It's in our blood
We believe the key to this remarkable and potentially cancer-free future actually lies right in our own blood, where proteins and other molecules called "biomarkers" hold critical information about cancer. We are delving deep into these molecules to unlock their secrets — and the results are exciting. Already our scientists have developed a blood test to predict whether leukemia will return after treatment. They have also identified a protein that could lead to a new blood test for ovarian cancer.
Our early detection researchers are pioneers in this growing area of medical science. Among our groundbreaking efforts:
- Biomarker discovery — We are one of two institutions in the country chosen to lead a National Cancer Institute-sponsored project to discover new cancer biomarkers. We're also spearheading collaborations to promote early detection and molecular diagnostics as an international health initiative. Learn more about biomarker discovery at the Hutchinson Center.
- Risk Assessment — Our scientists are using newly discovered cancer biomarkers to screen women at risk for ovarian cancer to detect the earliest signs of disease. We've also developed a method for monitoring cancer risk and onset in patients with the precancerous condition Barrett's esophagus, a technique that's boosted survival rates for esophageal cancer from 5 percent to more than 80 percent.
- Improving cancer care — Biomarkers help doctors to choose the best course of treatment for a patient and to quickly monitor if the treatment is working. We have developed a highly sensitive test to detect the earliest signs of leukemia relapse, and are working to develop new methods that can be used to predict prognosis and evaluate response to treatment for breast, prostate and other common cancers. Learn more about how the Hutchinson Center is using biomarkers to improve cancer care.
The best investment you can make in the fight against cancer
Understanding the connection between biomarkers in our blood and cancer will transform the way we fight the disease. Not only will the development of sensitive early cancer-detection tests save tens of thousands of lives each year, it will do so at a fraction of the cost it takes to develop and test new drugs for advanced cancer — most of which don't lead to a cure. With support from generous private contributors, this medical revolution is now under way at the Hutchinson Center.
Just think — thanks to early detection research, people like Jean Christ, who are at high risk of developing cancer, can see the promise of a healthy future.
"We see the Hutchinson Center as a forerunner — they are working on the aspects of early detection that we will benefit from in our lifetime," Jean said.
Additional information
Watch a video of a speech by Dr. Lee Hartwell presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), April 15, 2007.
Translating a Century of Science into a Future of Cancer Prevention and Cures (Opening Plenary Session)
To learn more about how you can support Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's Early Detection and Intervention Initiative, visit our Web site at www.fhcrc.org/donating/support/ or call (206) 667-4399 or (800) 279-1618.
