Inside this issue
FALL 2024
Multi-Cancer Early
Angelia Hight meets with clinical research coordinators Drisya John and Trishla Gandhi .
Detection Program
A collaboration between Baylor Scott & White Research Institute and Exact Sciences Corp . is great news for early cancer detection in Texas . or 25 years , Pratima Bakshi , MD , has told her patients that , beyond routine screenings like colonoscopies , mammograms and Pap smears , there ’ s little else available to detect cancer early .
But this past August , Dr . Bakshi finally had something new to tell her patients by offering them an opportunity to enroll in the Texas Multi-Cancer Early Detection ( MCED ) Program , a collaboration that brings together Baylor Scott & White Research Institute and Exact Sciences Corp .
“ This is a game changer ,” said Dr . Bakshi ,
Exact Sciences ’ Multi-Cancer Early Detection tests have the potential to revolutionize cancer screenings . an internal medicine physician on the medical staff of Baylor Scott & White Health . “ It ’ s what my patients have been waiting for .”
One of her patients , Angelia Hight , 61 , is the first to enroll in the study . Angelia takes a proactive role in her health and feels the
MCED study is an opportunity to do just that . “ This is a positive step for consumers who want to be proactive about cancer . We want to be able to detect it early if possible , so we can have a chance at a better outcome than if we detect it later ,” she said .
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U . S . and only 28 % of cancers in the U . S . have a recommended routine screening test ( mammography , colonoscopy , Pap smears and low-dose CT scans ). MCED tests are designed to detect multiple types of cancer at an early stage , often before symptoms become apparent — potentially revolutionizing cancer screenings .
These tests typically involve analyzing blood to identify biomarkers that could suggest the presence of cancer .
Continued on page 6
Inside this issue
Departments
2 From the president
8 From the chair
Focus on : People
Steven Meisel
7
News , Projects & Campaigns
2 U . S . News and World Report Rankings Announcement
3 Expanded Care for Waxahachie
4 25th Annual Celebrating Women Announcement
5 Healing Hearts in Peru : Dr . Rafael ’ s Medical Missions
8 Making a Difference in Southern Dallas