Sep 25, 2026 · 34 min · 10 segments
HOST: Hildy Grossman CO-HOST: Jordan Rich GUESTS: Melina Marmarelis, MD What if the secret to defeating lung cancer is already hidden inside our own cells? In this episode of Backstage @…
Melina MarmarelisGuestHildy GrossmanHostJordan RichHostIt's like a chess game, right? You just have to put something in place and think you've got things under control.
And if you're invaded in a way you don't expect, you've just got to be strategic.
I know there are some new screening tools, blood tests, for example, that screen for a whole pile of cancers all at once.
Not totally unrelated to this past question, but is it a good idea to shotgun the whole thing and see a What shows up when you've tested for 50? I think the one I was reading about could test for 50 different cancers.
How do you see that? And I know there's a big question, so just sort of a headline.
So I think there are two types of tests that kind of fall under the category that you're talking about.
One is actually looking at your own DNA and making a prediction about what things you might be susceptible to.
OK, so, you know, your report would look something like, you know, higher risk of developing multiple myeloma or something of that nature.
The second type of test is actually looking for very small pieces, actually usually of DNA from tumors that are hiding in your body.
And that's the type of test I think mostly that you're referring to that's trying to be an adjunct to a lot of the screening procedures that we do, such as colonoscopies and mammograms and things looking for early cancers.
So far, there has not been a clear test that has been approved that has shown a clear benefit in detecting earlier stage cancers.
There's a lot of promising things out there, but I think we still don't quite know how to use this very new technology.
Potential benefit of these tests is obvious, you know, potentially detecting a cancer earlier.
The potential harm is false positives and actually going through procedures that you didn't need and anxiety that you didn't need.
It's like a chess game, right? You just have to put something in place and think you've got things under control.
And if you're invaded in a way you don't expect, you've just got to be strategic.
I know there are some new screening tools, blood tests, for example, that screen for a whole pile of cancers all at once.
Not totally unrelated to this past question, but is it a good idea to shotgun the whole thing and see a What shows up when you've tested for 50? I think the one I was reading about could test for 50 different cancers.
How do you see that? And I know there's a big question, so just sort of a headline.
So I think there are two types of tests that kind of fall under the category that you're talking about.
One is actually looking at your own DNA and making a prediction about what things you might be susceptible to.
OK, so, you know, your report would look something like, you know, higher risk of developing multiple myeloma or something of that nature.
The second type of test is actually looking for very small pieces, actually usually of DNA from tumors that are hiding in your body.
And that's the type of test I think mostly that you're referring to that's trying to be an adjunct to a lot of the screening procedures that we do, such as colonoscopies and mammograms and things looking for early cancers.
So far, there has not been a clear test that has been approved that has shown a clear benefit in detecting earlier stage cancers.
There's a lot of promising things out there, but I think we still don't quite know how to use this very new technology.
Potential benefit of these tests is obvious, you know, potentially detecting a cancer earlier.
The potential harm is false positives and actually going through procedures that you didn't need and anxiety that you didn't need.
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