IN RICHARD NIXON’S 1971 state of the union address, he called for $100 million to be allocated to irradicate cancer. This led to the National Cancer Act passed in February 1971.

In the 50-plus years since that declaration, there have been many milestones that deserve celebration. Recently, advances in immunotherapy have improved cancer survival rates in many different types of cancers at many different stages of disease, giving more patients genuine hope for cure as well as the ability to live well with an advanced cancer for a long period of time.

Just recently, researchers at Mass General Brigham achieved promising trial results with a novel cell therapy for a particularly deadly form of brain cancer. Medical science continues to work to gain the upper hand in cancer care. However, each day many patients are diagnosed with late-stage cancers and these patients are a reminder that we still have more work to do to identify and fight these deadly, life altering diseases.

For those of us who are responsible for caring for patients with cancer, every day serves as a reminder of all the work still ahead. In 2024, the American Cancer Society projected the US will surpass 2 million new cancer cases for the first time ever. That means that every day 5,000 people and their families will learn that cancer will change their lives.

As a physician caring for cancer patients and their families every day, I bear witness to the exciting clinical advances that are happening in cancer treatment and detection, but I also stand with patients as they navigate their cancer journey. That journey always begins with the sobering reality of a diagnosis, with every doctor wanting to be able to tell the patient that their cancer was found early and can be cured. However, too many times this is not the case. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a test that could detect cancers that are not clinically detectable, yet are forming, so we could identify those cancers and treat them in their earliest stages?

As the incidence of cancers continues to soar, advances in cancer detection tools have become just as important as the development of new treatments. Even the most sophisticated and innovative therapies have limited effectiveness when cancer progresses beyond earlier, more treatable stages.

Breakthroughs in the science of cancer screening are rapidly gaining steam, and smart public policies will ensure patients can access these innovations.

Multi-cancer early detection tests are new cancer screening tools that use advanced computing power to detect the presence and likely location of a cancer, even before patients experience symptoms. Through a routine blood draw, these technologies can analyze DNA fingerprints from cancerous cells and tumors and provide physicians with the knowledge to intervene as early as possible. The early detection tests work for dozens of types of cancer, a significant addition and complement to the currently available standard screenings for just five types of cancer.

Early detection blood tests hold truly transformative potential, especially for seniors, who are the population at highest general risk for developing cancer.

The problem facing these early detection tests is that once the Food and Drug Administration approves them for widespread use, Medicare will lack the meaningful authority to provide coverage. After a test earns FDA approval, there would be an indefinite number of years before physicians and their patients could receive access. That is unacceptable. When mammograms and colonoscopies first rose to prominence, Congress had to intervene and pass legislation to ensure Medicare beneficiaries could access those screenings. Congress must now approach these early detection tests the same way for the next generation of cancer screening.

Fortunately, bipartisan legislation – the Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act – is being driven forward in both chambers of Congress. The bill would create a clear pathway for Medicare to cover these tests in a timely manner so patients can benefit from advances in screening technology with ease and convenience.

In the House of Representatives, Reps. Jake Auchincloss, William Keating, Stephen Lynch,  James McGovern, and Lori Trahan are among over 290 legislators who have cosponsored the legislation, and the House Ways and Means Committee, led by Rep. Richard Neal, recently advanced the bill unanimously, a major step toward passage.

The legislation has been endorsed by nearly 80 physician and nursing societies, and over 500 organizations across the country. The Massachusetts Society of Clinical Oncologists is hopeful the rest of the Massachusetts delegation will support the bill in their respective chambers.

A patient’s cancer journey is often long, complex, and challenging – no matter the prognosis. Oncologists see the benefits of earlier detection every day, and multi-cancer screening holds tremendous promise to improve outcomes, reduce treatment costs, and enhance a patient’s quality of life. Congress’ action in 1971 to pass the National Cancer Act was the start of their commitment to go to battle to fight this war on cancer. Let’s not stop now. Congress’ actions on cancer early detection legislation this year can translate that potential for very early cancer detection into reality for millions of Medicare beneficiaries and their loved ones.

Dr. Michael Constantine is the president of the Massachusetts Society of Clinical Oncologists.