Proactive Health Care Takes Innovation and Responsive Policymaking

When we think of medical advances, we often think of new cures or treatments. But some  of the most impactful  advances in modern medicine come from preventing disease or finding it early. Between 1975 and 2020, six million deaths from five common cancers were averted in the United States. Prevention and screening accounted for 80 percent of these lives saved. Since cancer is one of the leading causes of death, finding it early, when it is most treatable, is among the most powerful tools we have to save lives and make better health accessible to more people. 

We must move from managing sickness to guarding wellness and transforming to a preventive health-care system.

Colorectal cancer shows both the stakes and the opportunity for widespread adoption of screening and early detection. When colon cancer is found at an early stage, the five-year survival rate is 91 percent. At Stage IV, it drops to just 16 percent. Decades of screening, early detection, and removal of precancerous polyps have lowered mortality rates among older Americans.  

Yet despite decades of available screening, colorectal cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. And it is now tragically the leading cause of cancer death among Americans younger than 50, with rising rates unheard of a generation ago. The reason is a persistent screening gap. In the US, more than one in three adults eligible for colorectal cancer screening—over 50 million people—are not up to date with their screening. According to a recent study, 76 percent of colorectal cancer deaths occurred in people who were out of date.  

The pattern extends beyond colorectal cancer. Only one in five Americans eligible for lung cancer screening is up to date. For many people and communities, barriers keep unscreened rates stubbornly high. 

Scientific innovation, new discoveries, and new diagnostic tools can lower screening barriers, especially when they are built to fit people’s lives. Blood tests are one promising avenue. 

In 2024, following a landmark  20,000-person study conducted in rural and urban communities across 37 states, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first blood test for colorectal cancer screening, called the Shield™ blood test, from Guardant Health. It requires no special preparation and can be done in minutes during a routine doctor's visit. Since launch, more than 90 percent of people prescribed the test have completed it. It is screening people who would otherwise go unscreened. For instance, in two rural Appalachian clinics, twice as many people screened for colon cancer when a blood test was offered. 

The American Cancer Society and National Comprehensive Cancer Network have incorporated blood-based screening into updated guidelines, recognizing its role in detecting colon cancer and expanding the screened population. Major commercial payers have announced coverage. 

But millions of Americans still remain unscreened. They, and their families, risk late information, diagnoses, and treatment. Federal policy can remove a final barrier. The US Preventive Services Task Force, a national guideline body, can meet this year to modernize its recommendations for colon cancer screening and other preventive care in light of the latest innovations and evidence. For millions of privately insured Americans, this single step from the task force could open the door to proven options—like blood tests for cancer screening—without added financial cost. 

We often turn to health care when symptoms appear. Screening and early detection let us begin earlier. They offer clarity, information, and a window of time to act while many diseases can be most treatable. It has been exciting to see the rise in liquid biopsy—blood tests for cancer care—and its application in cancer screening and early detection. 

In 10 years, the most important health-care appointment may not be the one where a doctor shares a diagnosis. It may come earlier, when precision prevention can show how your health is changing and what you can do to stay well.  

I believe we can and we must move from managing sickness to guarding wellness and transforming our sickcare system to a preventive health-care system. The path is clear: pairing scientific discovery with responsive policies and turning proven American innovation into everyday care.