Most cancers are asymptomatic, growing unnoticed and undetected until the tumor has grown large enough to cause identifiable symptoms. Imaging methods like X-rays, ultrasound, and MRI are only useful in detecting later stage cancers when the tumor has grown to be tens- or hundreds-of-millions of cells. As a result, conventional cancer treatments start after a cancer has grown large and has developed defensive mechanisms or has already progressed and spread.
Additionally, because current methods cannot distinguish benign tumors from true cancers, invasive biopsy procedures are needed to confirm if it is truly cancer, often resulting in needless patient anxiety.
