(…) Almost 100,000 Romanians are diagnosed with cancer annually. According to the statistical data provided by the Global Cancer Observatory, approximately 13,000 new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed in Romania every year, the second most common type of cancer faced by oncology patients in our country.
In the light of these data, the REGINA MARIA Health Network is starting, for the first time, a pilot program through which it offers free genetic testing of RAS genes for the establishment of targeted treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer. The project targets patients diagnosed with this type of neoplasia and who have not yet benefited from such testing. “It is vital that patients can have access to these tests that offer a great chance in the fight against cancer. Testing for the KRAS, NRAS and BRAF genes helps the doctor to establish an effective, targeted treatment, which is essential for the medical management and quality of life of the patient. The testing shows whether anti-EGFR therapies are effective for patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer and gives us information about prognosis,” says Dr. Cosmin Arsene, scientific consultant, REGINA MARIA Health Network.
The aim of the project is to give a chance to patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer to benefit from a better quality of life through a targeted treatment approach.
Collection of blood samples (liquid biopsy) is performed in any collection point from within the Network. To benefit from free testing, patients must register on the REGINA MARIA website: Targeted treatment of colorectal cancer | Reginamaria.rountil August 30, 2023. Places are limited.
Through this approach, the REGINA MARIA Health Network raises the alarm on the importance of targeted treatment in cancers of any type and personalized therapy. This is a first step in giving patients access to personalized medicine, a practice that has major benefits in many pathologies, especially in oncology. “The pilot project dedicated to patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer is a step we are taking in the democratization of genetic tests in oncology, in the context in which the mortality rate from neoplastic causes has increased in Romania. In Western European countries, these tests are used on a large scale precisely for their usefulness and the positive impact they have in establishing personalized treatment. It is one of the reasons why the cure rate of cancer cases in Romania is far below that of the European Union,” explains Corina Olăreanu, Director of the Clinical Laboratory Division, REGINA MARIA Health Network.
Why is oncology testing important for targeted therapy and who is it recommended for?
An OECD report shows that the main causes of cancer mortality in our country are lung cancer, colorectal cancer and prostate cancer among men, respectively breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer and cervical cancer among women.
Testing for RAS gene mutations – present in nearly 50% of colorectal cancer cases – has become a primary medical procedure in determining the best therapeutic option for metastatic colon cancer. The result of this test helps the doctor guide the treatment; to determine the most appropriate treatment options and multidisciplinary approach strategy; to understand more about the characteristics of the cancer the patient is dealing with, especially how it responds to the different therapies available, thus increasing the possibility that the patient can fight the disease more effectively.
Even though the statistics both nationally and worldwide are worrying, colorectal cancer has a high success rate in terms of treatment, especially if it is detected in the early stages. However, it remains one of the most widespread forms of neoplasia in the world and occurs more frequently among people over 50 years of age. Specialists predict that the incidence of new cases of colorectal cancer will increase slightly, while the mortality rate caused by it will decrease.
In the context where 20,000 Romanians lose their battle with cancer every year, the normalization of oncological tests to establish targeted treatment becomes a vital practice in saving thousands of lives. The REGINA MARIA health network owns a vast portfolio of genetic tests both for the detection of the genetic predisposition to develop a form of cancer, as well as specific tests that have the role of helping to establish the diagnosis or targeted treatment in the case of patients already diagnosed with a form of cancer. (…)
press release
2023-08-21 21:00:00
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