“Congresswoman Sewell is prioritizing the
health of our seniors and under-served.”
By DR. MICHAEL MESHAD Published April 20, 2021
In many
respects, I have never been more hopeful about the future of cancer treatment
as an oncologist. In the past decade, we have seen an explosion of new
therapeutic options for cancer patients, including the development of
immunotherapies that have served as medical miracles for many people with this
terrible disease. Today, I’m able to see patient cancers go into remission so
that they can live long, healthy, normal lives. Five or 10 years ago, many of
those same men and women would have been ending their lives in hospice.
And yet,
for all of this progress, there is still frustration and far too many deaths.
According to American Cancer Society estimates, over 10,000 people will die in
Alabama this year from cancer. The problem is, no matter how advanced our
treatments are and will become, oncologists like me are seeing far too many
patients with cancer in its advanced stage when it has spread throughout the
body. And our treatment options are sadly limited in those circumstances.
Too many
cancers are diagnosed late because of limitations on our screening capability
and infrastructure. There is new hope, but it’s going to require a combination
of medical innovation and forward-thinking public policy.
Alabama’s
representative for the 7th congressional district, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, has
authored and introduced legislation in Congress, the Medicare Multi-Cancer
Early Detection Screening Coverage Act, that would create a pathway for
Medicare coverage for one of the most exciting innovations in cancer detection.
The Alabama cancer community and the highest profile national advocates are
cheering her on.
My cancer
center has been involved in a large-scale clinical testing program for a new
type of cancer screening, one that utilizes a simple blood draw that has been
shown to detect over 50 types of cancer. This is nothing less than
transformative. Today, we only have the capabilities to detect five types of
cancer – breast, cervical, colorectal, lung and prostate. Yet, there are many
more variations of the disease and those often go undetected until they have
metastasized and become virtually untreatable. In fact, roughly seven of every
10 cancer deaths are from these types for which doctors have no early warning
system.
Scientists
have discovered that cancerous tumors shed unique DNA particles in the
bloodstream. Our accumulated genomic research combined with machine learning
has led to a blood test that can use those DNA fragments to identify the type
and location of the tumor. The clinical trial results have been extremely
positive thus far with more to come, and the Food and Drug Administration will
be reviewing these technologies in the coming years.
That’s
where the public policy side of the equation comes into play. The age group
most susceptible to cancer is the over-65 population, so it’s critical that
Medicare provides coverage for these new screenings once the FDA gives the
green light. Under current law, that could take a very long time. Medicare,
unfortunately, does not cover new FDA-approved cancer screenings like it covers
new drugs, devices, and hospital services. Seniors and doctors are expected to
have to wait up to ten years or more for coverage to these multi-cancer
screening tests. That is totally unacceptable.
Congresswoman
Sewell’s legislation would create an authority for Medicare to cover blood-based
multi-cancer early detection tests once they are approved by the FDA. It’s
similar to what past Congresses have done with mammograms and colonoscopies to
make them immediately accessible to patients.
That’s
why more than 300 organizations around the country, including the Alabama
Cancer Association and the Alabama Rural Health Association, called on Congress
to pass this important legislation. Congresswoman Sewell is prioritizing the
health of our seniors and under-served. Let’s hope her colleagues join her and
take an important step toward saving lives and ensuring access to medical
innovations we’ve helped foster in Alabama.
A note on
opinion pieces - This is an opinion column and does not necessarily represent or
reflect the opinions of the Alabama Political Reporter, its editors or its
reporters. The opinions are those of its author. For information about
submitting guest opinions, visit our contact page.
Dr. Michael Meshad is an
oncologist with the Southern Cancer Center, which has locations in Mobile and
Baldwin counties.
https://www.alreporter.com/2021/04/20/opinion-rep-sewell-legislation-can-help-prevent-cancer-deaths/
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