Long-term economic benefits of early cancer detection through enhanced multimodal screening: a modeling study of whole-body MRI and liquid biopsy

Aim: Cancer poses a substantial health and economic burden in the US Although early detection is associated with improved outcomes and lower treatment costs, many cancers are still diagnosed at advanced stages. Enhanced multimodal screening combining whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB MRI) and blood-based multicancer early detection (MCED) may shift diagnoses earlier, but its long-term economic impact remains uncertain. Materials & methods: We developed an economic model to estimate expected cancer-related costs under two scenarios: status quo with conventional screening and enhanced multimodal screening incorporating WB MRI and MCED. The analysis included common cancers with an annual incidence of ≥10,000 new cases in the US in 2025. Expected cancer management costs were estimated using incidence-based 5-year stage-specific medical costs. Productivity losses were estimated using a simplified human capital approach, applying published stage-specific work-loss durations to sex-specific annual earnings. Under the intervention arm, conservative, moderate and maximum cancer stage-shift assumptions were evaluated. These scenarios reflected increasing degrees of earlier cancer detection, with a greater proportion of cancers assumed to be diagnosed at earlier stages rather than at advanced stages. Total expected cancer-related costs per person were derived by combining direct medical costs and productivity losses, weighted by cancer risk and stage distribution. Results: Under the status quo, expected cancer-related costs were estimated at $74,431 for men and $78,818 for women. With enhanced multimodal screening under the moderate stage-shift assumption, costs, including screening and false positive workup, declined to about $66,000 and $69,500, respectively, representing approximately 12% reduction. Under the conservative stage-shift assumption, total costs were similar to those under the status quo, whereas under the maximum stage-shift assumption, cost reductions ranged from 24.0% to 24.3% for men and from 24.7% to 25.0% for women. Conclusion: Enhanced multimodal screening may reduce the economic burden of cancer by shifting diagnosis toward earlier stages, although the magnitude of benefit depends substantially on the extent to which cancers are detected at earlier stages in practice. These findings highlight the potential long-term economic value of earlier cancer detection while underscoring the need for prospective evidence on the real-world performance of WB-MRI and MCED screening strategies. Because long-term real-world data for population-level WB-MRI and MCED screening remain limited, these findings should be interpreted as estimates of potential economic impact rather than projections of a specific screening program.