Big H’s goal is to support a wide variety of programs, research and studies designed to advance the science of early cancer detection. Diagnosing cancer early results in much higher survival rates compared to later-stage diagnosis. Cancer, if it is detected at stage 1 or stage 2 — with the treatments available today, has 80 to 90 percent positive outcomes. But cancer caught later on — at stage 3 or stage 4 — has the reverse outcomes — 80-to-90 percent negative outcomes. Our goal is to fund companies and research that develop tests to detect cancer in its earliest stages.
As an example, 52 percent of people diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer live for at least five years after diagnosis. The five-year survival rate for people diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer that has spread (metastasized) to other areas of the body is 4 percent. Seemingly, the biggest impact we can have to save lives is to detect cancer in patients far earlier.
It is clear to us that people whose cancers are detected and treated early have a better long-term survival rate than those whose cancers are not found until symptoms appear. Unfortunately, effective screening tests for early detection do not exist for many cancers. We have found that lots of money and research has poured into cancer treatments and therapies for cancer once it is found. However, much less research and efforts have gone into studying effective cancer screening and early detection tests.
There have been some important successes in screening and early detection. Deaths from cervical cancer in the United States declined meaningfully after annual screening with the Pap test became routine, and screening for colon and breast cancer have also been shown to significantly improve survival rates from these cancers.
Some early detection tests for cancer can help reduce deaths from the disease and may limit the need for extensive treatment, which is costly,and can cause substantial side effects and long-term health issues. Improving the accuracy of cancer screening tests and expanding the use of and access to tests that have been shown to reduce cancer mortality are clear needs that should be further researched and addressed.
Big H’s goal is to support a wide variety of programs, research and studies designed to advance the science of early detection.
Helpful Links:
- https://www.cancer.gov/research/areas/screening
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/arleneweintraub/2017/03/23/most-cancer-is-bad-luck-and-early-detection-is-a-cure-say-hopkins-researchers/#5198468a3801
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2016/02/10/cancer-killed-a-google-executives-wife-he-thinks-his-new-startup-might-have-saved-her/#2b7ad70e6e38
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/can-a-blood-test-detect-cancer-earlier/