Comprehensive One-Stop Cancer Screening Center in Tel Aviv Proved Successful

In a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic in Tel-Aviv, Israel, researchers at the Integrated cancer prevention Centre (ICPC) shared their success with establishing a comprehensive one-stop screening dedicated to early detection of cancer. 

According to the collected outcomes data, the approach is proved feasible and has the potential to reduce morbidity and mortality.

The ICPC carried out risk-factor assessments, and gathered additional data based on symptoms, personal histories and blood tests, as well as imaging exams overseen by radiologists.

Approximately 17,000 adults aged between 20 and 80 were self-referred for comprehensive cancer screenings over a 14-year period.

They performed the majority of all the screening tests in one place and at one-point in time to prevent patients from having to revisit and arrange multiple appointments. This way patients participated in all screenings and the convenience of this improved their satisfaction levels.

When the team compared the stage of detection in the ICPC’s cancer-positive patients with the average stage of detection in the U.S., they discovered that most cancers (breast, lung, prostate and female reproductive cancers) detected at the ICPC were detected at earlier stages. 

According to their data, 74.5% of the cancers were diagnosed following the first appointment, and 25.5% of the cancers were diagnosed following subsequent appointments.

Colon cancer was the only cancer that had not been detected at earlier stages at the ICPC, in contrast to the US registry where 77.3% of colon cancer was detected early. Researchers attributed this difference to the rise in screening for colon cancer in the U.S where most patients are up-to-date with their screening.

The study represents a proof of concept for, “a one-stop-shop approach to cancer screening in a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic,” where they have “successfully detected cancers at an early stage” improving outcomes and offering substantial cost savings.