ClearNote Health’s Avantect® Pancreatic Cancer Test Now Covered by Claritev’s National PPO Networks
ClearNote Health, a company dedicated to advancing early detection of some of the deadliest cancers, has announced a significant agreement with Claritev, Inc. (NYSE: CTEV), formerly known as MultiPlan, Inc. (NYSE: MPLN). Claritev is a technology and data insights company committed to making healthcare more affordable, transparent, and fair for all. Through this partnership, ClearNote Health’s Avantect® Pancreatic Cancer Test is now accessible to health plan members utilizing Claritev’s national PHCS and MultiPlan Networks.
Expanding Access to Life-Saving Early Detection Technologies
The inclusion of Avantect in Claritev’s provider networks marks a critical step toward expanding access to innovative early cancer detection technologies. With participation in these networks, ClearNote Health significantly enhances its reach, ensuring that a larger number of high-risk individuals can access its groundbreaking early detection solution.
Despite advancements in cancer detection and treatment, pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal forms of cancer, primarily because it is often diagnosed at an advanced metastatic stage. Current statistics reveal that patients diagnosed at this late stage have a five-year survival rate as low as 3%. Identifying pancreatic cancer at an earlier stage when it is more treatable is crucial to improving patient outcomes. The Avantect Pancreatic Cancer Test addresses this urgent need by providing a non-invasive, highly sensitive method for early detection.
The Science Behind Avantect
Avantect is a DNA-based blood test that leverages key epigenomic and genomic signals, coupled with advanced machine learning, to identify the earliest indicators of pancreatic cancer. This innovative approach focuses on profiling the epigenomic biomarker 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in cell-free DNA, a technique that provides unique insights into tumor biology. By analyzing these epigenomic modifications, Avantect is capable of detecting cancer-related changes far earlier than traditional diagnostic methods, which often rely on imaging and late-stage symptom presentation.
What sets Avantect apart from other diagnostic tools is its ability to integrate AI-driven algorithms with 5hmC biomarker data, resulting in a highly accurate and comprehensive assessment of potential malignancies. This powerful combination provides clinicians with a more precise tool for identifying pancreatic cancer in its early stages, significantly increasing the likelihood of successful treatment.
Who Can Benefit from Avantect?
The Avantect Pancreatic Cancer Test is specifically designed for individuals at a high risk of developing pancreatic cancer. This includes:
- Patients who have been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and are over the age of 50.
- Individuals with a relevant family history of pancreatic cancer.
- Those with a known genetic predisposition to pancreatic cancer.
By targeting these high-risk groups, Avantect ensures that individuals with an elevated likelihood of developing pancreatic cancer have access to early detection tools that could significantly impact their prognosis and treatment options.
A Strategic Collaboration to Improve Healthcare Outcomes
Dave Mullarkey, CEO of ClearNote Health, emphasized the significance of this partnership in achieving the company’s mission of making early cancer detection widely accessible.
“Participation in Claritev’s PHCS and MultiPlan Networks is another critical commercial milestone that will make it easier for health plan members accessing Claritev’s provider networks to use our innovative early cancer detection technology,” said Mullarkey. “We look forward to working with Claritev to enable early detection of pancreatic cancer in high-risk patients so they can live longer, healthier lives.”
The partnership between ClearNote Health and Claritev represents an important shift in the healthcare landscape, ensuring that groundbreaking diagnostic technologies reach the patients who need them most. By integrating Avantect into Claritev’s national PPO networks, this collaboration significantly expands patient access to non-invasive early cancer screening, aligning with broader efforts to enhance early detection and improve survival rates.
The Growing Importance of Early Cancer Detection
The ability to detect pancreatic cancer at an early stage is crucial in the fight against this aggressive disease. According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer is one of the top causes of cancer-related deaths, with a five-year survival rate of just 12% across all stages. However, when diagnosed in its earliest stages, the survival rate increases substantially, reinforcing the need for improved screening strategies.
Despite its deadly nature, pancreatic cancer has historically lacked reliable early detection methods. Many cases go undiagnosed until they reach an advanced stage because symptoms are often vague and nonspecific. Traditional diagnostic tools, such as imaging scans and biopsies, are generally used only after symptoms have appeared, by which time the disease has often progressed beyond curative treatment options.
Avantect represents a game-changing advancement in this area. By utilizing a simple blood draw, it offers a non-invasive and highly effective way to screen high-risk individuals, giving physicians the ability to intervene earlier and significantly improve patient outcomes.
