By Erika Hanson Brown

Colorado ranks among the healthiest states in the nation by nearly every measure. Yet even here — amid the Rocky Mountains and our deeply rooted culture of health and activity — cancer casts a long and painful shadow, remaining the leading cause of death in our state. Each year, more than 20,000 Coloradans hear the words, “you have cancer,” and far too often it comes at a late stage, when treatment is most difficult. In a state known for its commitment to health, prevention and innovation, there is a growing reason for hope: new breakthroughs are beginning to change what is possible for patients and families across Colorado. 

June is National Cancer Survivors Month, which honors millions of people who have survived cancer and highlights the ongoing medical, emotional, and practical realities of survivorship.

As a cancer survivor myself and as someone who works closely with patients every day, I’ve seen firsthand how quickly a diagnosis can change the course of someone’s life. There is nothing more heartbreaking than sitting with someone newly diagnosed — and even more so when that diagnosis is Stage IV. We encourage recommended cancer screenings, we promote prevention, but for far too many cancers such as ovarian or pancreatic, early detection tools simply didn’t exist until now.

A new generation of cancer-screening tools holds the potential to transform how we detect cancer — finding more cancers, and at earlier stages, when treatment is more effective and outcomes can improve. A large-scale clinical study recently reported deeply encouraging news, showing these tests are detecting cancers earlier and reducing late-stage diagnoses for some of the deadliest forms of the disease. This represents an important step forward in how we approach cancer detection and care.

For Colorado families, these advances represent more than a medical breakthrough; they offer hope fewer people will face the devastating reality of a late-stage cancer diagnosis. 

And there is already meaningful progress. Congress recently advanced legislation to pave the way for Medicare to cover these blood tests once they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Colorado’s own U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet was one of the authors of this critical policy and worked tirelessly to bring this vision closer to reality. 

The need for this progress is clear. Today, seven of every 10 cancer deaths come from cancers with no recommended screening available. This leaves far too many people vulnerable, living without symptoms, unaware cancer is silently progressing. As a result, many patients are diagnosed only after the disease has advanced, when treatment options are more limited and outcomes less favorable.

Counselors at my organization have had agonizing interactions with patients who are informed their cancers are at advanced stages and their cancer journey will be incredibly challenging. Late-stage cancer is not just a diagnosis — it is a life-altering reality filled with grueling treatments and profound emotional and physical tolls.

Multi-cancer early-detection tests offer something we have long hoped for: a chance to find cancer sooner, to treat it more effectively, and to give people more time to enjoy every moment. Earlier detection can expand treatment options and improve quality of life for many patients, enabling more early diagnoses and improving the chances for successful treatment and a healthier life. This is truly a turning point.

The leadership shown by Sen. Bennet and his colleagues in Congress has brought us closer than ever to making these tools broadly available. The legislation keeps new cancer-detection tools from getting hung up in unnecessary bureaucratic delays, but our work is not yet done until these tests are accessible to those who need them.

Cancer has affected far too many families across Colorado and across the nation. Now, we have an opportunity within reach to change that story.

Now is the time to build on this progress by embracing innovation, ensuring access and advancing earlier detection so more patients can be diagnosed sooner and have better outcomes.

Erika Hanson Brown is the founder and KAPA-in-chief of One Cancer Place, a nonprofit focused on improving the cancer patient experience. She is also a stage-3C colon cancer survivor with more than 23 years of no evidence of disease.