All language subtitles for Tomorrows.World.Today.S10E03.1080p.WEB.h264-CBFM_track3_[eng]

[narrator]
On "Tomorrow's World Today,"
we explore the cutting edge

advances that are shaping
four different worlds.

The world of inspiration,
where the wonders

of the natural world
amaze and inspire us.

The world of creation,
where ideas come to life

from traditional arts.

The world of innovation,
where ideas and inventions

move us all forward.

The world of production, where
innovations are mass produced

to improve our lives.

From Inventionland,
World Headquarters,

here's your host,
George Davison.

Did you know that your body's
constantly writing

a hidden history?

Every day, billions
of your cells are shedding

tiny fragments of their DNA
into your bloodstream.

It's a molecular code
of who you are.

Welcome to
"Tomorrow's World Today."

Now, for centuries,
this code was invisible to us,

a secret written in a language
we simply couldn't see.

The quest to see cancer,
well, it all began

in ancient Egypt,

where Edwin Smith Papyrus
first described

bulging tumors
nearly 5,000 years ago.

But for most of history,
we could only find cancer

once it was large enough
to feel.

Now that changed in 1928,
when Dr. Papanikoláou,

he developed the Pap smear
to detect cancer

at the cellular level
for the first time.

And he proved that if we could
see the change early enough,

we could change the outcome.

Now by the 1960s,
imaging techniques

such as mammography,
well, it allowed us

to see what the human eye
couldn't see.

But even then,
we were looking for masses.

The real turning point,
it arrived when we stopped

looking for the lump
and started looking

for the signal.

We realized that cancer
actually leaves microscopic

fingerprints in our blood
long before a physical mass

ever appears.

Now today, we're moving
beyond just scanning the body.

We're sequencing our survival.

We're entering an era where
a simple blood draw can reveal

the earliest signals
of many types of cancer.

So I wanna learn more
about this.

And I'm gonna send Greg
to the World of Innovation

in Madison, Wisconsin,
to show us

the latest advancements
in cancer screening.

♪♪

For decades, one of the primary
goals of modern medicine

has been to find a cure
for cancer.

While there are many
different types of cancer,

what they have in common
is that very often

successful treatment comes down
to one thing, early detection.

And that's why we're here
in Madison, Wisconsin,

to meet with the makers
of the Cancerguard test.

And together, we'll explore
how they're helping to win

the battle against this disease
today and in tomorrow's world.

I sat down with Dr. Beer,
Chief Medical Officer

for Multi-Cancer Early Detection
at Abbott Cancer Diagnostics,

to explore their blood test,
which uses DNA biomarkers

to screen for multiple cancers.

Dr. Beer, tell me about what
was the impetus for developing

Cancerguard as a test?
What was the need for that?

Well, first of all,
we know that when we detect

cancers earlier,
people have better outcomes,

a higher probability
of curative therapy,

less aggressive
treatment necessary.

But today, we only screen
for four or five common cancers.

And so about 70%
of cancer diagnoses

and 70% of cancer deaths
are due to cancers that

we don't have any
screening tests for.

That's the reason
for developing Cancerguard.

Why did it take so long for us
to get to this point?

I mean, you know, there's been
so much advancement

in cancer care and oncology.

Why did it take this long
to get to this point?

Well, for a long time,
the field has focused

on developing single
cancer screening tests.

And it takes a decade or two to
develop the evidence necessary

to prove that these tests
are useful.

But focusing one cancer
at a time has an inherent

limitation once you get
beyond the most common cancers.

And so it's really been
impossible to address

those other cancers
like pancreatic cancer,

ovarian cancer, and others

until we developed
a multi cancer approach

like Cancerguard.

Right, so multi cancer early
detection is really what

Cancerguard is all about.
But the story

that it's looking for is
actually in the blood.

Yeah, so it turns out
that cancers secrete

into the bloodstream
what we call biomarkers,

or minute concentrations
of cancer DNA

or cancer associated proteins.

Those are the kinds of markers
that we look for in the blood

with Cancerguard,
and we put together

these multiple measurements
into a single algorithm

that tells us whether
we should be concerned

about a cancer or not.

-OK, so the blood basically
tells the story in this.
-Yes.

So a lot of folks would
probably compare this a bit

with Cologuard, which is

an at-home screening
for colon cancer.

But rather than making a sample
at home and sending it in,

this is a --
this is a blood draw.

Yes, I think there are
some similarities and lessons

from Cologuard,
but also some differences.

Cologuard proved to us
that we can use,

um, uh...

the detection of DNA biomarkers
to pick up a cancer early.

That's a critical advance.

But the difference is that
Cancerguard is a blood test.

So it's not an at-home stool
test like Cologuard.

You can get your blood
drawn at home

with what we call
mobile phlebotomy,

or a person who can
draw your blood,

they can come to your home.

You can also get that
at a brick and mortar laboratory

or in a doctor's
clinic or a hospital.

Great, well,

now a Cancerguard itself,
so it's --

it's not a diagnosis.

It doesn't necessarily mean
that you have cancer, but it is

a screening that will let you
know that you should talk

to your doctor further.
-Yeah.

So just like other screening
tests that you can think about,

Cologuard, we've already
talked about,

mammography and so on
and so forth,

Cancerguard gives a signal

um, that triggers us to

uh...

look and determine whether
a cancer's present or not.

So most of the time, one can
expect a negative result,

meaning no further workup
is necessary.

But when we get a positive
result that is not

a diagnosis of cancer,

it is a signal that we need to
do more to rule in or rule out

the presence of cancer.

Right, so mammographies
and things like this,

this is not to take that place.
-No.

Mammography, colorectal cancer
screening, lung cancer

screening, if you're a smoker,
cervical cancer screening,

perhaps PSA testing
are really well established,

proven screening approaches.

And Cancerguard is designed
to work in concert with those,

not as a replacement.
-Great.

Well, doctor,
thank you very much.

Don't go too far, we're
gonna catch up again later.

My pleasure.
Thank you so much.

♪♪

[Greg] I'm going to meet with
Dr. Michelle Beidelschies,

Director of Medical Affairs for
Multi-Cancer Early Detection,

to discuss a positive result
and care navigation services.

So, doctor, who are the folks
that the Cancerguard test

is really designed for?

Yeah, the test is indicated
for individuals,

adults, who have not had
a prior history of cancer

in the previous three years.

Now, certainly there are
risk factors, if you will,

or perhaps even a family history
that someone might have.

They may have known genetic
predisposition or may not know

their genetic predisposition,
but the Cancerguard test

could be right for them.

So a family history isn't
necessarily an indicator

of genetic predisposition,
as you say.

That's -- that's correct.

A lot of people don't know
their family history,

but certainly they have
relatives and know

of different cancers that have
popped up in their family,

so this technology might be
valuable to them.

Right, right.
Well, let's kind of walk

through the test itself.

Take me through the process.

So as it relates to getting
the Cancerguard test,

it can be ordered
by your provider

or you can request it to be
ordered through our website.

So it still needs to be

prescribed by
a medical provider?

Yes, it needs to be prescribed
by a medical provider.

And once that's done,
then you get a kit

and you're able to take it
to a blood draw station.

We actually have phlebotomists
that can come to your home

and actually collect the blood.

And so once that's done,
the blood then goes

to the laboratory where
the assays are performed,

and then a patient is given
a final report.

♪♪

OK, well, let's talk
about those results.

What if you get
a negative result?

So the negative result is
actually quite valuable, right?

That means that there's
no cancer signal detected,

which is a great thing.

Now, certainly, there might be
situations where

there is a cancer,
but the test missed it.

But overall, a no cancer signal
detected is a very good thing.

Well, let's look
at the opposite as well.

How about if a patient gets
a positive result?

Yeah, so if there is
a positive result,

we call that
a cancer signal detected.

And what that means is that
our assay picked up some

of the biological biomarkers
in the blood.

Now, this certainly is
not diagnostic.

It doesn't necessarily mean
you have cancer.

What it means is the assay
picked up a signal,

and so it requires further
workup to what we call localize

and potentially diagnose
a cancer if it in fact exists.

[Greg] Excellent, well,

let's talk a little bit
about the blood itself.

What are the things that
the Cancerguard test is

looking for in that sample?

So the Cancerguard test is
the only test that looks

at a multi-biomarker
class approach.

And what that means is
we evaluate

two different biomarker classes.

That would be circulating
tumor DNA as well as proteins.

And those two biomarker classes
are important because this is

what is released
from the cancer tumor cells.

And we're able to pick that up
as part of our assay.

And what we do is we look
at each of those biomarker

classes individually,
and then we combine them

together through an algorithm
and are able to provide

that result of no cancer
signal detected

or cancer signal detected.

So once that positive result
comes back,

what other sorts of supports
are available

through the Cancerguard network?

Yeah, once you do get
a positive result,

we provide care navigation,
not just to the patient

but also to the provider.

And so from the provider
perspective, we're available

to answer any questions
that they might have,

provide educational support.

We have a fantastic
field medical team

and the laboratory director
that's there

to answer questions.

And then from
a patient perspective,

we have a dedicated team
of individuals that are able

to support the patient along
their journey, whether that's

talking to their insurance
company, helping them to get

to imaging needed
to localize and diagnose

that potential cancer.

But I think one of the most
important assets that we offer

for the patients and support is

the patient
reimbursement program

for imaging services.

So we offer up to $6,000
to the patient

for non-covered imaging costs.
-Wow, that's really excellent!

Well, doctor,
thank you very much.

Thank you.

♪♪

[Greg]
I reconnected with Dr. Tom Beer
to examine the significant

economic impact
of early cancer detection.

Doctor, let's talk about
the economic advantage

of a -- of an early detection
versus the long-term impact

of a later diagnosis.

Yeah, so we know that
treatment of earlier stages

of cancer is not only
more straightforward

and often more successful,

but it is usually
much less expensive

than treatment
for advanced cancer,

especially when the cancer gets
to stage four,

where often multiple treatments
are required

with very expensive agents.

Now, Cancerguard currently
is still a self-pay test,

um, but if you maybe have
concerns over family history

or maybe where you were working,
it still seems as though

it would be an investment
in your long-term health.

Yes, as you mentioned,
Cancerguard is available today

as a self-pay test.

Our long-term goal is to have
the test be FDA-approved,

widely available,
and reimbursed by insurance

so that everyone can access it.

In the meantime, we wanted
to make the test available

as soon as possible
to as many people as we can.

And we're also learning
a great deal by having the test

available to people today.
-Excellent.

Well, doctor, again,
thank you very much.

Thank you.

[Greg] I had a chance
to meet with Allison Barry,

a Cancerguard employee,
to discuss her journey

after receiving
a positive test result.

-Hi, Allison.
-Hi, Greg.

-How are you?
-I'm great.

-How are you?
-I'm doing well.

So, Allison, you work for
the company, but you also have

a really personal connection
to the Cancerguard test.

-Tell me about that.
-Sure.

So I've been working
for the company

for a little over five years.

What brought me to the company
was the Cancerguard test

when it was still
in development.

I work on communications
for the company

and for the test.

So the first day
it was available,

I was really excited
to order it.

I wanted to know what it was
like, the whole process,

so I could go out and talk
about it confidently.

I never expected the result
to be a positive,

but in fact, it was.
-Wow.

What's the next step after
you get that positive result?

Sure.
So a positive test result

doesn't automatically mean
that you have cancer.

You need to follow up with
your primary care physician.

And that's exactly what I did
a few days later.

And at that appointment,
my physician ordered

a set of three CT scans,
one of my neck, one of my chest,

and one of my abdomen
and my pelvis.

When those test results
came back,

they revealed a 22-centimeter
likely malignant tumor

on my right ovary.

Wow.
So did you have to

immediately undergo surgery?
-I did.

I was scheduled for surgery
pretty quickly afterward,

and it was a five-hour surgery.

They were able to remove
the entire tumor.

They did dozens of biopsies.
Those all came back negative.

And the final pathology
revealed a stage one

ovarian cancer.
-Wow.

So did you have to do
any follow-up chemo,

radiation, anything like that?
-I did not.

And I was very fortunate
in the fact that

my specific type of
ovarian cancer is very rare,

and it's known to be resistant
to chemotherapy.

So finding it in an early stage
was really, really important

for me to just move forward
with my life.

Right, it would have been
much more difficult

to deal with later on.
-Very much so.

Wow.
OK.

Well, so now you're doing well.
You're cancer-free.

-I am.
-Excellent.

Excellent.
Well, show me how you signed up

for the test and how
somebody can just get online

and take care of this
for themselves.

Sure.
Yeah.

You just go right
to cancerguard.com.

It's really easy.

You can go on a computer,
you can go on your phone,

and you just hit,
"Request online."

You answer a few questions,
you put in your information,

and it goes to a medical
professional to review.

And you can also go see
your primary care physician

at your next appointment,
request the test there.

-So it's really easy.
-Excellent.

So it's like signing up
for just about

any other website that you find.

-It sure is, yeah.
-All right, excellent, well,

Allison, thank you very much.
-Thank you so much, Greg.

[George]
I'm meeting with David Harding,
Senior Vice President

of Pipeline Product Management,
to talk about the future

of cancer screenings.

Hi, David.
Welcome to Inventionland.

Thank you very much.

It's a pleasure
to be here, George.

You know, I'm excited
for you to be here

because this field of cancer

and trying to identify
cancer earlier,

that's of interest to me.
And I --

That, like, even the whole
history of cancer, you know,

back in the old days,
you'd see a lump,

maybe touch that
and know you have a problem.

And then, of course,
innovation happens

and screening was invented,
and mammography became a thing.

And now we've moved again
into the future where now

we're looking at the blood
and it's starting to indicate

that we may or may not have
a cancer, but being able

to find that out so early,

that's a really important
piece of work.

Can you talk a little bit
about it?

Yeah, I mean, it really is
interesting to look at the arc

of how cancer screening has
evolved over the decades.

And I think we're at
a fundamental transition point

here where now that we can
understand molecularly what's

happening in the blood and get
these very small, tiny signals

from cancers that may be
in your body,

we have the ability to really
revolutionize cancer screening

and change it in a way that's
fundamentally different.

That's exciting to me.

And the way I'd like to think
about it is it's like

all innovations
and technologies.

When they first come out,
you know, they can be a little

unnerving, you know, "Should I,
should I give that a try?"

And, uh, so I was thinking
about how do we get across

to the audience out there that
this could be a better way of,

you know, identifying whether
or not you may have

cancer, right?
-Yeah.

I think it's important
to acknowledge that, yes,

there is a certain amount
of anxiety that comes

with any kind of medical
testing, but then I think

you need to think
about the impact

of what this might do.

All of us have friends
and family members who

have been detected
with late stage cancer.

And we all know the pain
and suffering and cost

that comes with that...
-[George] Mm-hmm.

...to not only the patient,
but also to their family.

And I think you need to really
understand that detecting

that cancer early makes
a massive difference

in the life of that patient
and the family.

And so I think we need to think
about what's possible, right?

And be courageous
and move forward

with this kind of testing
that can fundamentally

expand the number of cancers
that we can detect

and potentially detect them
much earlier

when there's a chance to treat
them much more effectively.

So that's what gives me
the courage to move forward

and what I would encourage
everybody to think about

as they adopt
this new technology.

Yeah, and so trying to get
the general population

to understand that this is
a big advance

and that they should take
a chance

and go get this done.

But I think there's another,
there's always like a step

in the process
of getting innovations

and technology to market.

So how do we get doctors
informed so that,

you know, they're more apt
to adopt what's going on here?

I mean, what kind of things
would you run into

in the field?

Yeah, typically what I would
say is, doctor, have you ever

had a patient come in who was
worried about something like,

you know, a pancreatic cancer
or ovarian cancer,

these very aggressive, you know,
very high-mortality cancers,

have they ever asked you,
like, what can I do?

I'm doing all my other
screening tests.

What can I do to, you know,

maybe detect
those cancers earlier?

And now we have a solution
for that, right?

It's a very revolutionary
solution that really broadens

the tools that
you have, doc, available...
-[George] Right.

...to help screen that patient.

And I think most doctors really
understand that

very intuitively.
-Yeah.

I mean, it's great.

You guys are chasing
a noble cause.

David, thanks for everything

you and your team have been
working on.

Well, everybody,
that's another edition

of "Tomorrow's World Today."
And we'll see you next time.

So, David, I've got
this new stuff

we're working on in the lab.

And remember, Tomorrow's World
is where inspiration

and creation drive
innovation and production.

See you next time.