Kate Walsh Talks About Multi-Cancer Early Detection Testing
Grey's Anatomy star Kate Walsh discussed her parents experiences with cancer and her own cancer ... More scare and the importance of detecting cancer early. (Photo: Courtesy of HelloMMC)
Grey's Anatomy star Kate Walsh called this decision a 'no brainer' in both a serious and punny way. It's her decision to team up with the company GRAIL to advocate for more multi-cancer early detection testing in a campaign they're calling 'Generation Possible.'
Now MCED, short for multi-cancer early detection, isn't exactly a term that's already bandied about regularly like 'OMG' or 'IYKYK.' It's a newer term that may at first sound quite technical. But breaking the term down to its component parts can help understand what it is. 'Cancer" along with 'early detection' means trying to catch cancer in its early stages before it's spread and becomes much more difficult to treat. 'Testing' implies some kind of test to do this.
And "multi-cancer' means a test that can look for multiple different cancers at a time. This is in contrast to tests like mammography, colonoscopy or prostate specific antigen blood levels that look for cancer in just very specific parts of the body. You wouldn't, for example, use colonoscopy to look for lung cancer, unless you somehow weren't paying attention and inserted the scope in a very wrong place.
Walsh is serious about the early detection of cancer in large part because of what happened to her parents. Her father was diagnosed with late stage lung cancer. 'It was not detected early enough and he succumbed unfortunately to cancer a year and a half later, quite young." Walsh recalled. "He was just three days short of his 61st birthday.' That was over three decades ago when Walsh herself was only 23.
Her mother had a different experience with cancer. 'My mother survived breast cancer,' Walsh recalled in a recent conversation. 'She was diagnosed at 62, but they caught it early enough to where she had double mastectomy where she was able to live cancer-free for another 30 years. We were very fortunate.' Walsh also mentioned a good friend from high school who died of breast cancer.
Here's the punny part. GRAIL now has a multicancer detection test that's commercially available. Walsh explained, 'This technology has never been available before, it was not there in my parents' generation,' hence the name of the campaign Generation Possible. 'It was a no brainer to work with GRAIL,' Walsh added. 'I should say pun not intended since I did have a brain tumor, which was very fortunately not cancerous, ten years ago.'
Yes, Walsh had her own cancer scare in 2015, when Walsh was in her mid-40s. The first symptoms that came to a head, so to speak, were rather subtle. 'I was just exhausted and then I got more and more tired.' Her Pilates trainer then noticed that her right side was dipping. Not in a 'hip dip' Pilates move type of way. But in a what's-going-on type of way.
It took a while for her to act on these various symptoms, which she attributed to 'American can-do and stoicism. I'm sure it's just, you know, tired. Or I just did a big TV show, I burned myself out. I was working out really hard I burned myself out.'
But eventually after 'all these little subtle markers" got 'more and more pronounced,' she got an MRI of your brain. 'And then lo and behold I had a pretty sizable tumor in there," Walsh recounted. "So, three days later I was in surgery and had it had it out and thankfully they were able to get all of it and it was benign.'
It turned out to be a meningioma. A meningioma is a non-cancerous overgrowth of the meninges, the tissues that wrap around the brain sort of like Saran Wrap around a tomato. Except that one's brain is a bit more important than a tomato.
Kate Walsh starred as Dr. Addison Shephard in ABC TV's medical drama series "Grey's Anatomy." Here ... More she is pictured with Ellen Pompeo, who played Dr. Meredith Grey, and Patrick Dempsey, who played Dr. Derek Shepherd. (Photo by Craig Sjodin/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
In general, waiting for symptoms to appear before getting checked for cancer is not a good proposition. It's a bit like waiting for your house to fall into pieces before doing something about a termite infestation. Cancer is when some cells in your body start to grow abnormally in an uncontrolled manner. If you catch these calls early enough, you may be able to pluck them out or kill them before they spread anywhere else. In these early stages, though, many cancers don't cause any symptoms. Symptoms really start emerging after the cancer has spread, which, in turn, can significantly decrease the chances of successful treatment. It can be much tougher to get each and every cancer cell out of your body.
On top of that, people can delay going to the doctor. After all, the words 'I have a doctor's appointment' aren't typically followed by a 'Woooo.' Even Walsh, who played Dr. Addison Montgomery in the TV series Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, has had a very common reluctance to see doctors. 'For someone who played a doctor on TV for the better part of a decade and back and forth over the years, I never really liked going to the doctor,' Walsh said. 'I really did the bare minimum."
After her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Walsh did start advocating for people to get cancer screenings such as mammograms. 'But I still get nervous and intimidated [during doctor's appointments],' Walsh related. 'I always say to people, bring your husband or wife or a partner or a friend to ask questions that you might forget to ask or take notes, because I think it's anxiety provoking, you know? It's not a friend to friend conversation. There's an awe about doctors.'
When you don't go to the doctor regularly or are like a deer in headlights during the appointment, you may not end up getting screened for cancer properly. Currently, the American Cancer Society recommends the following:
In addition, you can get screened for skin cancer with the doctor searching your body for suspicious looking stuff.
If you notice, though, that's only a small fraction of the over 200 possible cancers that people could possibly get. For most other cancers, there historically has not been ways to detect them early.
The Galleri test is now commercially available. GRAIL is seeking FDA approval of the test. (Photo: ... More Courtesy of GRAIL)
That's prompted researchers to try to find some sort of detectable signal that is present across different cancers at their early stages. It's helpful to find something that is common in many different cancers because you want the screening to be as practical as possible. It could get a little daunting if a doctor were to say, 'OK, get ready for the over 100 different scopes to be inserted into different parts of your body.' It's also good to have tests as painless as possible. Because who wants more pain in life.
All of these motivations have given rise to the MCED concept. GRAIL has been advocating for MCED because, naturally, they have a commercially available test aiming to do the MCED thing. GRAIL's Galleri test looks in blood samples for DNA fragments with certain methylation patterns suggestive of cancer. The test is based on the fact that all cells in your body, healthy or otherwise, shed their DNA to varying degrees. That can leave various fragments of DNA circulating through your bloodstream.
These DNA fragments can be methylated to varying degrees. Methylation is when a methyl group consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms gets attached to the DNA molecules in your cells. A cell uses such methylation to turn on and off sections of its DNA, in turn, changing what proteins the DNA codes for at the time.
Josh Ofman, MD, MSHS, is president at GRAIL, chronicled how the concept behind the Galleri test arose by accident: 'It really dated back to 2015 at Ilumina. The origin story was they did a big study with about 125,000 pregnant women.' The study was part of Illumina's testing of their non-invasive prenatal test that entailed checking pregnant mothers for genomic abnormalities. 'There were 10 cases where the DNA just looked really abnormal,' said Ofman. 'The medical director at that time was a guy named Rick Klausner, who was the ex head of the National Cancer Institute, and he said you only see the abnormal DNA like this in cancer." Ofman continued with, "They called those 10 women back and all 10 of them had an asymptomatic cancer. And that's when the light bulbs went off in Illumina.' Illumina subsequently spun out GRAIL to develop the technology that could test for DNA fragments with methylation patterns that are indicative of cancer.
That eventually led to the Galleri test that was launched as a commercial product in 2021. A big test of the test conducted from the end of 2019 through 2020 was the PATHFINDER study, a prospective cohort study of 6,662 folks 50 years of age and above who didn't have at the time symptoms suggestive of cancer. Results from PATHFINDER as described in a GRAIL press release alongside a publication in The Lancet in 2023 found the test to be 97% accurate in detecting cancer.
Now, commercially available doesn't necessarily mean readily financially available to everyone. While you or your employer can currently pay for the test if either of you have the cash to shell out, insurance typically won't cover it yet. Ofman said that they are in the process of trying to get FDA approval of Galleri, 'Where we hope to become the first multi early detection test that has an FDA approval.'
Of course, GRAIL isn't the only place working on MCED stuff. Other scientists around the world are trying to find different ways to catch more cancers earlier and more efficiently with less invasiveness. There is a big need for such things as cancer is one of the leading causes of death around the world, accounting for nearly one in six of all deaths, according to the World Health Organization. And the rates of cancers like prostate cancer continue to rise, especially among younger people.
Therefore, it is a 'no brainer' to want more ways to detect more different cancers earlier as Kate Walsh does. It is also a 'no brainer' to ensure that more people get access to cancer screening technology. With further scientific research—assuming that science gets the proper amount of support and funding—and more support of screening tests, all of these things may become increasingly possible for the current generations and beyond.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
36 minutes ago
- CNN
Why men with broken heart syndrome are more likely to die than women
Heart disease Chronic diseasesFacebookTweetLink Follow Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being. A 59-year-old man arrived at the Peking University First Hospital in Beijing for a procedure when he started having severe chest pain and shortness of breath. Four months earlier, he had cancerous tumors removed from his bladder. Around his family, he tried his best to appear strong and avoided discussions of his health. Privately, his severe anxiety over the possibility of a cancer recurrence kept him awake at night. Doctors said the man was experiencing takotsubo cardiomyopathy — also known as broken heart syndrome, as documented in a 2021 case study. The rare stress-induced heart condition has been observed primarily in women, but a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association in May found that the illness may be more deadly for the men who get it. Thought to be caused by extreme emotional or physical events — such as learning about the death of a loved one, winning the lottery or lifting a heavy sofa — takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or TC, occurs when the heart muscle is flooded with stress hormones, causing part of it to 'freeze' in place. As the heart struggles to properly pump blood, symptoms resemble those of a heart attack, including chest pain, heart palpitations and irregular heartbeat. The new study analyzed data from nearly 200,000 patients hospitalized for TC in the United States between 2016 and 2020. While women accounted for 83% of the cases, men were more than twice as likely to die from the condition — with a mortality rate of 11.2%. 'The differences between men and women are a very striking finding,' said study coauthor Dr. Mohammad Reza Movahed, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson. 'It raises a new, interesting question that should really be studied.' Similar to differences between men's and women's cardiovascular health more generally, the discrepancies in TC death rates are not well understood, Movahed said, especially because they counter trends in other heart diseases. It's widely theorized, however, that differences in hormone levels play a role. Stressful situations trigger the adrenal glands to release our fight-or-flight hormones, called catecholamines. They are meant to increase our blood pressure and raise our heart rate, but extreme levels can temporarily 'stun' cells in the heart's tissue, leading to TC, Movahed explained. Men are thought to produce more catecholamines during stressful situations compared with women, possibly leading men to present with more severe cases of TC, he suggested. Estrogen, a sex hormone produced at higher levels in women, may also have a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, making it easier to manage an extreme influx of catecholamines and reducing the risk of severe complications from TC, said Dr. Louis Vincent, a noninvasive-cardiology research fellow at the University of Miami, who coauthored a similar, multiyear study investigating discrepancies in men and women who had TC. Vincent was not involved in the new study. Beyond biological differences, social factors may play a role as well. 'Most (physicians) know about takotsubo, but they may think of it as a disease just affecting women, so the diagnosis might be overlooked in men,' said Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a cardiologist and the director of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital who was not involved in the study. 'With misdiagnosis, care is delayed, and that can sometimes lead to worse outcomes.' Men may also seek care at a later stage of illness, believing that their symptoms are manageable or may pass, said Dr. Alejandro Lemor, an assistant professor of interventional cardiology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center who was also not involved in the study. Deadly complications from TC include blood clots, stroke, cardiac arrest and heart failure, Lemor said. If the condition is caught early, medications can reduce the risk of having these complications, restore proper heart function and allow for full recovery within weeks, he added. Movahed's team was able to factor for important variables like age, race, income, chronic lung disease, hypertension and diabetes in the findings. However, there was no patient data on other comorbid diseases, such as a history of stroke or the presence of a Covid-19 infection, Vincent said. Additionally, the new study included in-patient diagnostic data only for those hospitalized with TC, so those who received outpatient care or died later from complications outside the hospital were likely not counted in the analysis, Movahed noted. To establish a firmer explanation for the differences in mortality rates between men and women and further test treatment methods, a more detailed dataset would be needed, Vincent said. 'People should be aware in studies like this, we're presenting findings that are based on diagnostic codes, and we're not looking at patient procedures or lab results,' Vincent said. 'But it's powerful in the sense that it lets us look at large populations and look at trends. And I think that this trend of a higher mortality in men is worth taking a deeper look into.' Sudden, severe chest pain or shortness of breath should always be treated as a medical emergency, warned Bhatt, who is also a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. 'It's not a time to tough it out at home or get on the internet to figure it out. … Don't try to track down your primary care provider. Call emergency services,' Bhatt said. 'Time matters. By winning those few hours, you could save yourself irreparable damage to your heart.' Symptoms following physical stressors — a common cause of TC in men — should not be ignored, Movahed said, especially preceding medical events such as asthma attacks, seizures or complications from drug use. And while TC is caused by sudden stress, Bhatt said that managing chronic stress with daily meditation or exercise can lead to better cardiovascular health overall while giving you routines to fall back on in unexpected situations.
Washington Post
38 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Salmonella outbreak tied to eggs sickens dozens across 7 states
A salmonella outbreak linked to a large egg recall has made dozens of people sick in seven states in the West and Midwest, federal health officials said Saturday. The August Egg Company recalled about 1.7 million brown organic and brown cage-free egg varieties distributed to grocery stores between February and May because of the potential for salmonella, according to a posted announcement Friday on the Food and Drug Administration's website. At least 79 people in seven states have gotten a strain of salmonella that was linked to the eggs, and 21 people have been hospitalized. the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The recall covers Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington and Wyoming. A list of brands and plant codes or Julian dates can be found on the FDA and CDC websites. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick recover within a week. Infections can be severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, who may require hospitalization. The CDC advises people to throw away recalled eggs or return them to the store where they were purchased. Consumers should also wash and disinfect any surfaces that came in contact with the eggs. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
CNET
an hour ago
- CNET
Struggling With Anxiety Symptoms? Try These 8 Pressure Points for Relief
Anyone can experience anxiety symptoms -- an upset stomach, trouble breathing or a racing heart -- myself included. Over the years, I've tried many techniques and products to ground myself and reduce anxiety, and I've had varying degrees of success. But sometimes, you just need instant relief. One method I find helpful is using acupressure to stimulate pressure points that naturally reduce anxiety symptoms. Though it doesn't treat anxiety, you may feel physical symptoms lessen by using specific pressure points. "Acupressure is an incredibly effective and accessible tool for managing anxiety, because it works on both an energetic and physiological level," said Dr. Jessica Sharratt, founder of Heal Los Angeles, a holistic therapy practice. "It can be used in real time, wherever you are, without needing to schedule an appointment." How does acupressure work for anxiety? According to the American Psychological Association, anxiety is a common mental health condition that's defined as having fear or worry about the future. It's different from the normal stress response. It's a future-oriented, long-lasting response to stimuli that isn't a threat. Anxiety activates the autonomic nervous system. The two parts of our autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, work in balance. The sympathetic nervous system is our "fight-or-flight" response that is supposed to keep us safe from danger. When the sympathetic nervous system is triggered, our heart rates increase, pupils enlarge and digestion slows, all to help us act quickly in dangerous situations. However, the sympathetic nervous system can't always distinguish between real and perceived danger. Anxiety disorders can cause the sympathetic nervous system to be overactive or chronically activated. When you feel anxious, adrenaline is released and your heart rate and blood pressure jump up. Those actions contribute to the uncomfortable physical symptoms we associate with anxiety. "Acupressure can actually help with anxiety symptoms because it works on the nervous system by stimulating specific points on the body that are associated with stress regulation mechanisms," said Erik Larson, a board certified nurse practitioner in psychiatric mental heath and owner of Larson Mental Health. The parasympathetic nervous system is the other side of the process; it restores you to a balanced state. It essentially acts like a break to the fight-or-flight instinct, what experts call the "rest and digest" response. Acupressure stimulates pressure points on the body, focusing on kick-starting the parasympathetic nervous system to calm us. This type of massage can temporarily relieve anxiety symptoms by triggering the release of endorphins and improving blood flow, which relaxes the muscles. Maskot/Getty Images 8 pressure points to reduce anxiety Larson said acupressure is most effective when combined with deep breathing and other relaxation techniques. You might find that certain points bring more relief than others. Heavenly Gate point One of the easiest pressure points to access is the heavenly gate point; it's also one of the most well-known pressure points. It's located in the upper shell or hollow part of the ear. Apply gentle pinch pressure and move your finger in a circular motion for two minutes. You might have to use a mirror the first time to locate it. solidcolours/Getty Images Hegu point The Hegu point is located on the webbing section of your hand between the thumb and index finger. Larson explained that it can help reduce overall stress and anxiety. You'll want to press hard enough to feel pressure but you don't want pain. Apply pinch pressure for about two to five minutes. Shou San Li point The Shou San Li pressure point is found on the outer elbow. To access it, you simply place two fingers below your outer elbow while it's bent 90 degrees. Experts say it helps ease general anxiety, neck tightness and intestinal distress. Chest center point A pressure point that Sharratt recommended for emotional grounding and calming the nervous system is Ren 17, also known as chest center or Tan Zhong. It's located at the center of the sternum, level with the fourth intercostal space. For men, it's roughly the space between the nipples. Apply gentle pressure with small circular motions for three to four minutes. Neiguan point According to Sharratt, Pericardium 6 or Neiguan point is another pressure point that will calm the nervous system. There are a few locations in the wrist, although Pericardium 6 is located in the center between the two large tendons. To find it, hold your hand palm side up and place three fingers on the wrist, starting at the base of the palm. Then, put your thumb just below the third finger, and you'll feel the two large tendons. Apply gentle pressure. Larson said this point is particularly helpful for nausea that often accompanies anxiety attacks. MementoJpeg/Getty Images Hall of Impression point Also known as Yin Tang or the third eye, the Hall of Impression pressure point is located between the eyebrows. To access it, start by sitting comfortably and closing your eyes. Then, touch the spot with either your index finger or thumb. You should take slow, deep breaths as you apply gentle pressure in a circular motion. It's best to do this for five to 10 minutes to see your stress and anxiety symptoms ease. Yongquan point The Yongquan point, also known as Kidney 1, is located on the sole of the foot. You can find this point by locating the depression formed when you curl your toes toward the sole of your foot. It's just under the ball of your foot. This point promotes relaxation and stress reduction. Shen Men point The Shen Men point is one of my favorites because it's so easy to access and feels very relaxing. Shen Men, also known as the spirit gate, is located on the pinky side of your wrist, just below the palm. It may also help with motion sickness and insomnia. There is some research behind acupressure The research behind this topic is still developing but some studies support that it works. However, it's worth noting that most studies available are limited to stressful situations rather than general anxiety. Also, the sample sizes have been small. This doesn't discount the results but remembering their context is always important. For example, there have been a few reviews that have investigated using acupressure for anxiety before medical procedures and treatments. A 2018 study found that using acupressure techniques reduced anxiety and stress in those going through fertility treatment. A 2024 review of research revealed that acupressure decreased anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to those who did not use acupressure therapy. The studies are small, and it's difficult to parse out the placebo effect of pressure points for anxiety. More research is needed to truly understand how acupressure can ease symptoms. Unlike other trends and techniques out there, acupressure is a risk-free calming technique you can try if your anxiety symptoms are ruling your life. Studies haven't found any adverse effects from acupressure. Home remedies like acupressure can help you reduce your anxiety symptoms in the moment. However, it doesn't do anything for the root cause of the feelings. It's not intended to be a replacement for traditional therapies or medications. It's simply a tool that can help you find relief temporarily.
