Burning Rock Medicine: From defense to offense, making cancer prevention and treatment "early"

Over the years, cancer has always been a major public problem threatening the health of the Chinese people
.
Since 2016, the number of new cancer cases in China has continued to exceed 4 million each year
.
In 2020, China's new cancer cases and deaths accounted for nearly 1/4 and 1/3 of the global new cases and deaths, respectively, ranking first in the world
.
With the increasing trend of population aging, the situation of cancer prevention and control in China is becoming more and more severe.
Compared with the exhaustion of treatment after the discovery of middle and late stage cancer, "early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment" can seize the opportunity, which can cost less, Help more people reduce the threat of cancer with less pain
.
Faced with the current situation that 80% of cancer patients in China are found to be in the middle and late stages, at the beginning of the 28th National Cancer Prevention and Control Awareness Week, Burning Rock calls on everyone to respond to this year's theme "Early Action for Cancer Prevention and Control", from defense to attack, let the Cancer prevention is one step earlier
.
Early action for cancer prevention and control The emergence of cancer is a multi-factor, multi-stage, complex and gradual process.
Most cancers are the result of long-term accumulation of gene damage and mutation in human cells under the long-term action of external factors
.
The incidence of cancer in the general population after the age of 40 increases rapidly, and the risk of cancer death also increases
.
At the same time, family medical history of cancer, bad living habits such as long-term smoking and frequent drinking, and possible exposure to high-risk environmental factors such as carcinogens in life or work scenarios will increase the risk of cancer
.
However, having cancer does not mean "the end of the world".
The World Health Organization believes that 1/3 of cancers can be prevented, 1/3 of cancers can be detected early and cured, and the remaining 1/3 of cancers can be treated Alleviate pain and prolong life
.
Therefore, early action is crucial for people over 40 years old
.
Taking the most common lung cancer as an example, the five-year survival rate in the early stage can reach 70%, and the five-year survival rate in the advanced stage is only 5%; while ovarian cancer, as the most lethal gynecological tumor, the five-year survival rate of early stage patients is 89%.
, only 20% in late
.
On the other hand, early action is also a more economical choice.
Data shows that early-stage cancer patients can save nearly 70% in diagnosis and treatment costs compared with middle- and late-stage cancers
.
Make tumor screening a mandatory item in physical examination With the development of the economy, the improvement of living standards, and the strengthening of health management awareness, regular annual physical examination has become the "default option" for more and more people.
Regular physical examination is very important for chronic diseases and mild diseases.
Management plays a vital role in detecting potential diseases of the body in time and sounding the alarm for health, but it is far from enough for the early detection of cancer.
High-risk groups need to increase tumor screening according to their own conditions on the basis of routine physical examinations item
.
Among the cancer screening methods, currently only some cancers have screening methods recommended by authoritative medical guidelines, that is, colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer, lung low-dose spiral CT screening for lung cancer, and mammography for screening breast cancer.
Cancer and Pap smears are used to screen for cervical cancer, but due to factors such as the availability of medical resources and test compliance, these types of tests are usually not standard for general physical examinations
.
At the same time, there are more than 50 types of cancers known to human beings, such as pancreatic cancer, the "king of cancers", and gynecological tumors with the highest fatality rate [8].
There is still no early screening method recommended by authoritative medical guidelines for ovarian cancer
.
Another fact that needs attention is that a single high-risk factor may lead to multiple cancers.
For example, smoking may increase the risk of cancer in multiple organs such as esophagus, lung, colorectum, pancreas, and liver [11]; Esophagus, colorectum, liver and other organs
.
Screening of individual organs one by one may increase the cumulative false positive rate
.
For people over the age of 40 who have not yet shown clinical symptoms, professional cancer prevention physical examinations are essential if they want to carry out dynamic health monitoring and eliminate the threat of cancer
.
The era of early detection of multiple cancer species is coming With the development of science and technology, the options for early cancer screening are gradually becoming more diverse
.
Liquid biopsy-based early detection of multiple cancers can be an effective supplement to existing cancer early screening methods with its multifaceted advantages
.
Compared with traditional screening methods, the convenience and accessibility of early detection of multiple cancers can greatly relieve the pressure on public medical resources and help subjects perform dynamic health monitoring safely and conveniently
.
Compared with single cancer screening methods, early detection of multiple cancer types not only provides more comprehensive coverage and accurate traceability of cancer types, but also includes more cancer types, which can fill the gaps in early detection of some cancers
.
At present, many companies at home and abroad are engaged in the field of early detection of multiple cancers, such as Grail in the United States and Burning Rock Medicine
.
Burning Rock's multi-cancer early detection products only need one tube of blood, which can accurately detect six high incidences in China, including lung cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and ovarian cancer (for women only).
It provides a painless, non-invasive, non-radiation hazard accurate detection method, while filling the The blank of early detection of pancreatic cancer and ovarian cancer
.
As a leading company in the second-generation gene sequencing (NGS) industry in China, Burning Rock Medicine officially launched ELSA-seq, a multi-cancer early detection technology based on liquid biopsy and cfDNA methylation, in 2016 with the technical advantages accumulated over the years.
Research and development.
In 2021, ELSA-seq technology will be officially published in "Nature Biomedical Engineering" (Impact Factor: 25.
671), revealing the technical principle of this technology to accurately capture weak signals from early tumors in blood, in order to help more Many people achieve early detection and early diagnosis, and to a certain extent reduce the economic burden and mental suffering of cancer-affected families, improve the survival rate and quality of life of cancer patients, and help the "Strengthening Early Diagnosis" in the "Healthy China 2030" Plan Outline , early treatment, early recovery" goals
.
Finally, Burning Rock Medicine takes the opportunity of the 2022 National Cancer Prevention Awareness Week to call on everyone to pay attention to the importance of early detection and diagnosis of cancer, and turn passive detection into active screening.
It is hoped that one day, when people face cancer, they can Be more calm and win the opportunity
.