Sparing a thought in the epidemic to tide over the difficulties: ACT Genomics & Sanomics together with Novartis are to provide free liquid based lung cancer panels for cancer patients in Hong Kong

One of the causes for non-small cell lung cancer is related to gene mutation. Currently, the known gene mutations that cause lung cancer includes EGFR, ALK, BRAF, ROS1 and METex14, etc. To identify these gene mutations, it is necessary to undergo genetic testing at the time of diagnostics. Genetic testing can provide insight into the presence of mutated genes using either tissue or blood samples. If a patient was found to have a known gene mutation, targeted therapy can be used. Targeted therapy will target related mutations and directly suppress the tumors with relatively little impact on normal cells. As a result, it has fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy.

It's racing against time when treating lung cancer. Non-invasive and rapid blood testing of cancer genes can speed up gene analysis and diagnosis, so that the appropriate treatment can be matched as soon as possible. After the blood extraction and gene sequencing analysis, the patient's driver cancer gene mutation can be identified. Next-generation gene sequencing can detect and analyse dozens to hundreds of genes at the same time. It can increase the chances in detecting rare gene mutations, and at the same time patients do not need to perform multiple tissue biopsies to retrieve the samples.

The sponsorship program will run for three months. Through this program, lung cancer patients are encouraged to undergo blood based lung cancer gene testing as soon as possible and screen for multiple cancer genes that already have a corresponding targeted therapy. There is no need to obtain tissue samples from the body thus reducing the risk of patients to be exposed to Covid-19 virus as they do not need to get in and out of the hospitals to perform the procedures.

Lung cancer patients in need could enquire your attending private specialist, or contact ACT Genomics directly through the hotline +852 3990 0720 to learn more about this program and information on cancer genetic testing.