Why Innovation in Oncology Diagnostics Is An Imperative We Must Prioritize

Originally published on Life Science Daily News.

By Inga Rose, CEO, Reference Medicine

Not long ago, I spoke with a colleague, a mother named Kelley who has spent the past two years asking a question that increasingly reflects a broader challenge in oncology:

If technologies exist to detect cancer earlier, why aren’t we dedicating more effort to support them?

Her daughter, Rachel, was 26 when she was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare and aggressive malignancy. Rachel underwent chemotherapy and radiation, and at one point achieved what imaging suggested was a complete response. However, within months, the cancer recurred.

Only after Rachel’s death did Kelley learn about emerging diagnostic approaches—particularly minimal residual disease (MRD) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing.