I’ll never forget how I felt when my doctor told me I had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I was 20 years old and was just told I have a 50% chance of surviving. I’ll also never forget how the outlook could’ve been even more grim had my cancer not been detected as early as it was.
Every year, roughly 26,000 Louisianians will be hit with the devastating news that they have an invasive cancer. I beat the odds and have vowed to dedicate my time to advocating for improvements in care so others who face the same scary diagnosis can do the same.
As the latest medical research – and my own personal experience – show, one of the major keys to beating cancer is catching it early. When doctors and patients identify cancer at its earliest stages, the five-year survival rate for many types is nearly 90%.
Until recently, screening technologies were limited to a handful of tests, each specific to only one type of cancer. A major breakthrough in cancer care known as multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests may soon be transforming our collective fight against cancer.
MCED tests can spot the signals of dozens of cancer types through just a simple draw of blood. Unfortunately, patients and doctors can’t take full advantage of this life-saving technology if Medicare can’t cover the tests for seniors – i.e., the nation’s most vulnerable population to cancer. Congress can—and must—act to modernize coverage policies and adopt MCED screenings for Medicare patients. Any bureaucratic hiccup will take years to untangle – at the cost of an innovation and lives.
MCED tests will benefit myriad aspects of cancer care – from lowering treatment costs and improving outcomes to reducing suffering. The positive effects are, at once, dizzying and gratifying to contemplate. A surprisingly high 70% of all cancer deaths come from types that have no commonly available screening. The diagnosis of these cancers often happens at more advanced stages, when they are much harder to treat.
In rural and elderly communities, MCED technology will be especially beneficial. The simplicity of administering a screening test like this – which can be done anywhere blood can be drawn – would help reduce access barriers faced by many seniors across Louisiana, like proximity to specialists and the costs of transportation or travel.
When I helped found the Cancer Advocacy Group of Louisiana (CAGLA), one of the primary focuses became expanding access and funding for early detection technologies. First, the science had to advance to deliver the opportunity for these tests to benefit Americans everywhere. Now that MCED tests are within reach of broad adoption, it’s time to ensure broad access.
The Medicare Multi-Cancer Screening Coverage Act (HR. 2407/ S.2085) has generated incredible bipartisan support in both chambers in Congress. Louisiana Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy deserve thanks for their leading co-sponsorship, as does Rep. Troy Carter (LA-02) on the House side, and others in the Louisiana delegation leaning in.
My fight against cancer inspired my advocacy for helping fellow Louisianans navigate the hardships of cancer diagnoses and I am pleased to tell you that every bill that we’ve supported has passed. My diagnosis taught me the value of “staying in the moment,” and that’s my message to Washington now.
The once-futuristic technologies for diagnosing and treating are now present-day opportunities to improve care and save lives. Don’t waste time and resources litigating what is simple – and simply lifesaving. Every senior will benefit from MCED coverage.
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Chadwick Landry is a cancer survivor, founding member and current President of New Orleans Lympho-Maniac Cancer Fund Inc. He is also co-founding member and Executive Director of the Cancer Advocacy Group of Louisiana (CAGLA).
