Cancer Detection Test Sends Erroneous Letters to Over 400 Patients
US biotechnology company Grail recently sent 408 patients letters erroneously suggesting they may have developed cancer due to a signal in their blood. The company explained this was a mistake and reassured patients that their tests results lacked precision. The incident sparked concern among insurers who are testing Galleri, Grail’s multi-cancer early detection test. PWNHealth, Grail’s telehealth provider, sent out the letters in error and recently disabled this configuration problem. The incident raised concerns among healthcare officials on early detection technologies, which promise both to save lives, reduce claim payments, and keep customers healthier.
The Risks of Adopting Early Detection Technologies
Early detection technologies have the potential to reduce the number of cancer-related deaths, save insurers payments in claims, and improve customer health. However, the recent error by PWNHealth, a US telehealth provider, highlights the risks that insurance companies must take into account when adopting these technologies. These new cancer detection technologies also face challenges, including access and affordability barriers. Insurers must also consider the questions of precision and reliability of these technologies.
What Happened?
Over 400 patients received letters that erroneously suggested they had developed cancer due to a signal in their blood. PWNHealth, Grail’s telehealth provider, was responsible for sending out these letters. However, these letters were sent in error. They were triggered by configuration problems with the PWNHealth software, which have since been disabled. Grail moved quickly to reassure all affected customers that their test results were wrong. Grail’s Galleri, a multi-cancer early detection test, promises to reduce the amount paid out in claims by detecting over 50 cancers using a single blood draw. This early detection technology is hailed as state-of-the-art by many in the healthcare industry and is marketed to large health insurers and employers.
What Are the Risks of Using Early Detection Technologies?
The error by PWNHealth has raised some concerns among the health insurance industry about early detection technologies. According to an article on Reuters, “Since insurers pay for cancer treatment, it’s in their financial interest to detect the disease early and minimize the costs of care. By adopting tests such as Galleri, carriers could theoretically reduce their claims payouts while keeping their pool of customers healthier.” However, insurers may not want to use these technologies without knowing more about their precision and reliability. Early detection technologies also face other challenges, including access and affordability barriers for various population groups, particularly those without health insurance.
Emerging Trends in Early Detection Technologies
One emerging trend in early detection technologies is the use of liquid biopsy testing, such as Grail’s Galleri. A liquid biopsy is a blood-based test that detects tumor DNA fragments shed by cancer cells into the bloodstream. According to a recent report by GlobalData, a data and analytics firm, the liquid biopsy market segment is expected to grow from $3.6 billion in 2020 to $4.1 billion in 2024. Although the technology has the potential to revolutionize cancer detection, experts still urge caution, and there is concern that early adoption may harm patients.
Conclusion
Despite the potential benefits of early detection technologies, the recent erroneous letters sent to 408 patients raise concerns about the desirability of early adoption. While it’s appealing to detect cancer early and minimize the costs of care, it’s critical that insurers adopt these new techniques carefully and avoid introducing new errors in the process. Insurers must consider improving access and affordability barriers for all groups and ensure that these technologies are reliable and precise. As many experts recommend, it is best to await full-scale clinical trials before embracing any new technological advances fully.
Summary
Grail recently sent out letters to over 400 patients that erroneously suggested they had developed cancer due to a signal in their blood. PWNHealth, Grail’s telehealth provider, was responsible for sending these letters. However, they were mistakenly triggered by configuration problems with the PWNHealth software. Grail acknowledged the mistake and reassured all affected customers that their test results were wrong. This error raises concerns among healthcare officials, insurers, and patients who question the desirability of early adoption of new cancer detection technologies. Early detection technologies have potential benefits, but there are risks, including reliability, access and affordability barriers. Customers and insurers must be cautious in adopting new techniques, and extensive clinical trials are necessary to ensure accuracy and safety.
Additional piece:
Can we trust early cancer screening technologies?
The rapid advancement of liquid biopsy testing raises questions about the reliability of these technologies. The error by PWNHealth is a harsh reminder that early detection technologies and precision medicine come with risks. Patients may receive false diagnoses, and these diagnoses may lead to treatment that may cause more harm than good. Patients who are concerned about the accuracy of cancer screenings may lose faith in these technologies or delay treatment, leading to potentially fatal consequences. These new technologies may also carry implications for health equity and patient privacy, with marginalized groups at a disadvantage due to associated price tags or access challenges.
This is not to say that early detection technologies do not hold promise. However, as doctors and insurers focus on improving early disease detection, reliability must remain at the forefront. Patients and doctors need more information, and regulations must ensure the right level of scrutiny to ensure tests are reliable and accurate. Insurers must balance patients’ desires to take advantage of these promising technologies with the consideration of the risks to them. The aim is to attain a cost-effective and accurate solution to detect diseases early. It remains a priority to adopt a cautious approach and ensure that early screening technologies are reliable, affordable, and accessible to all.
—————————————————-
| Article | Link |
|---|---|
| UK Artful Impressions | Premiere Etsy Store |
| Sponsored Content | View |
| 90’s Rock Band Review | View |
| Ted Lasso’s MacBook Guide | View |
| Nature’s Secret to More Energy | View |
| Ancient Recipe for Weight Loss | View |
| MacBook Air i3 vs i5 | View |
| You Need a VPN in 2023 – Liberty Shield | View |
More than 400 patients who signed up to undergo a pioneering cancer detection test developed by US biotech company Grail last month received erroneous letters suggesting they may have developed cancer.
According to an internal company document seen by the Financial Times, 408 patients were wrongly told they had a signal in their blood that suggested they might have cancer.
grail he said the letters were sent “by mistake” from his telehealth provider PWNHealth and that his staff moved quickly to contact affected customers to reassure them that the test results were wrong.
The incident has raised concern among some insurers who are trialling Galleri, a multi-cancer early detection test which claims to be able to detect more than 50 cancers with a single blood draw.
MassMutual, one of the largest U.S. life insurers, said a “small number” of its policyholders were affected and that it has consequently “put on hold” the pilot.
“We understand that Grail has been proactively reaching out to all of our attendees to address this issue as quickly as possible,” he said.
Principal, another large US life insurer that has clients affected by the error, said it was reviewing its relationship with Grail following the crash.
The episode highlights the risks for insurers in adopting early detection technologies, which offer the prospect of reducing the amount paid in claims while keeping customers healthier.
Grail, which is a subsidiary of the world’s largest gene sequencing company Illuminate, sells Galleri for about $950 per test and markets it to insurers and large employers. The test scans so-called cell-free DNA for changes caused by cancer cells.
The test has been hailed as “revolutionary” and “state-of-the-art” by UK and US health chiefs, although many experts have urged caution in introducing it before large-scale clinical trials show it can save lives.
Grail said the incorrect letters were in no way related to or caused by an incorrect result from the Galleri lab test. The letters were inadvertently triggered by a configuration problem with the PWNHealth software, which had now been disabled, a statement read.
PWNHealth said it promptly launched an investigation and addressed the underlying issue within an hour of becoming aware of it and had processes in place to ensure it did not reoccur.
“In partnership with Grail, we started contacting those affected within 36 hours,” he added.
Grail, who is expected to give a presentation on Galleri this weekend at the largest cancer conference in the United States, said more than half of the people who received the letters had not yet drawn blood for Galleri’s test.
“No patient health information has been disclosed or breached as a result of this issue, and no patient harm or adverse events have been reported,” the company said.
In February, US life insurer John Hancock announced it would expand access to Grail’s “first-of-its-kind” test, saying preventative care and early diagnosis were central to its commitment to helping customers recover. live “a longer, healthier and better life”. He worked with Munich Re on the pilot project announced in September.
A spokesman for John Hancock said his partnership with Grail has not changed. Munich Re declined to comment.
PWNHealth, which is a subsidiary of Everlywell, a digital health company, is an independent telehealth provider that reviews Galleri test requests, prescribes the test, and delivers the results to patients.
https://www.ft.com/content/b91fc966-649e-4cd5-9e95-812987d27a51
—————————————————-