On today’s episode, I speak with colorectal cancer survivor Dan Kenny, who splits his time between Michigan and Florida.

Today’s show is all about cancer surveillance. As colorectal cancer survivors, we usually rely on traditional imaging including MRI and CT scans, and sometimes PET scans. We also track our disease activity with a CEA blood test. An elevated CEA often indicates active cancer.

But scans and CEA testing both have major limitations. Scans don’t detect recurrence until the cancer is large enough to show up. And CEA is not a reliable indicator for many patients.

Enter Signatera. This is a highly sensitive blood test that can accurately detect cancer activity long before it shows up on a scan. The Signatera test is custom designed for your individual cancer. I have been using this test over the past few years, with the endorsement of my medical teams at New England Cancer Specialists, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Massachusetts General Hospital. 

I use Signatera for monitoring. If the test comes back positive for circulating tumor DNA, I can begin planning with my team, exploring my next treatment options, rather than just having my head in the sand, waiting for tumors to show up on the scans. 

SPONSOR SHOUT-OUT!

A shout out to our sponsor - Natera, developers of a new kind of test called Signatera that can detect recurrence as much as a year earlier than imaging. Ask your doctor if Signatera is right for you. Natera.com/signaterapatients