New study shows that one in four cancer patients suffer delays in diagnosis
Leading cancer diagnostic tech – ANCON Medical – offers commentary on the vital role new technology could have in cancer diagnosis
A major study by Cancer Research UK has shown that one in four cancer patients experienced a delay to their diagnosis and treatment that could have been avoided. Half of these patients waited two months for diagnosis unnecessarily. This study highlighted delays occurring while being assessed by a GP as a key driver of these delays, with 49% of avoidable delays being attributed to this stage.
Around 363,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year in the UK, with the stage at which they are diagnosed being of critical importance to their survival.
5 year survival stage 1 diagnosis vs stage 4
Wesley Baker – CEO of ANCON Medical – discusses the need to revolutionise diagnosis of cancer: “This study highlights the shocking disparity in our ability to diagnose cancer effectively and efficiently. Stage of diagnosis is arguably the most important factor in terms of cancer survivability especially for the most deadly forms such as lung cancer.
With this in mind, there is a clear and present need for cutting-edge technologies that are relatively inexpensive to use and can provide an accurate diagnosis during that crucial period of time when cancers are in their early stages. Diagnostic technology that can keep up with the changing treatment landscape will soon find themselves at the forefront of the movement to increase patient survivability.
Catching cancer early is of paramount importance; survival rates in some cases increase tenfold with stage 1 diagnosis. While treatments get more effective each year, relying on treatment is not – by any means – the most effective strategy.”
ANCON Medical’s revolutionary Nanoparticle Biomarker Tagging (NBT) technology allows for quick, accurate and cheap diagnosis, with a huge reduction in the number of false positives compared to traditional diagnosis methods.
The technology works by analysing a patient’s breath to detect unique biological markers that indicate the presence of cancer, as well as the stage it is at. NBT technology can provide diagnoses in as little as ten minutes, all while being less expensive to use and more accurate than current technologies.
