HN Explorer

9 comments

[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 28.0 ms ] thread
melling
Chadwick Boseman dying from colon cancer at 43 makes me think we need better non-invasive testing.

Sounds like he developed his cancer before he was 40.

eganist
Late 30s. He'd been battling it for four years, and it was discovered at Stage 3. Which would suggest it'd been growing since when, 37 or so?
jashephe
Indeed. In Chadwick Boseman’s case, the onset was at _such_ a young age that it suggests (total speculation) he might have had a hereditary cancer syndrome or some other familial risk factor. More widespread genetic testing may help people like him in the future.
treefish
I would be curious if anyone knows his cancer family history. The guidelines I've seen recommend screening at age 50 or 10 years before a the age at which a first degree relative was diagnosed (whichever is sooner).
Jabbles
This sounds like it might be applicable in the near future - the regulatory barriers to a system that checks if you've missed any areas are probably far lower than any kind of tool that provides an actual diagnosis.
epmaybe
This really resonates with where I feel a lot of these systems are headed first. Having a system that aids the reader/user or augments their own abilities are far more palatable to a system with tons of regulation. Imagine a chest xray scanner that highlights places that are typically missed by radiologists, or enhances the opacities in that area. If I'm not mistaken, philips or siemens have a program that does just that.
rayhendricks
Wow this is really interesting and a project I’d really like to work on. My grandmother passed away from colon cancer in her late 50s and as a presently 32 y/o I’m definitely thinking about getting a colonoscopy soon. I wonder if they could give me the raw video data to experiment with?
DoofusOfDeath
I wonder if a better starting point would be consulting a well-regarded oncologist or gastroenterologist.

That might be your best resource for assessing your personal risk profile, and developing an early-detection strategy. That also might be the fastest way to persuade a gastroenterologist to perform the exam, if appropriate.

henearkr
As it seems pretty much feasible to use automatic objects detection/classification to spot possible tumors during the colonoscopy, wouldn't it be the next obvious step to replace the normal camera (well suited for a human observer) by several cameras in particular on the sides, or even a 360° camera (with the corresponding spotlights)?

This would help get 100% coverage with no effort.