Genetic tests for cancer that cost Tk 1.5 lakh or more abroad can now be done at BIRDEM General Hospital in Dhaka for Tk 12,000 to Tk 65,000, making it possible to learn a cancer's genetic profile, and the treatment best suited to it, cheaply and inside the country.
At BIRDEM's molecular testing laboratory, Illumina MiSeq and NextSeq 550 machines from the United States analyse many genes at once to find cancer-related changes, or mutations. The hospital's chief research officer, Professor Dr Mohammad Sohrab Alam, showed an Amar Desh reporter round the laboratory. Conventional methods look at one particular gene, he said, while the new technology examines many together, which helps in planning a patient's treatment.
According to BIRDEM, changes in 140 genes can now be tested: DNA for 111 genes and RNA for 29. For breast cancer the panel includes BRCA1, BRCA2, PIK3CA, TP53 and ATM; for ovarian cancer BRCA1, BRCA2, RAD51C and BRIP1; for lung cancer EGFR, BRAF, KRAS, MET, ALK, ROS1 and RET. Genes linked to cancers of the stomach, oesophagus, bowel, liver, pancreas, skin and brain are covered too.
Professor Alam explained that even cancers of the same organ can differ genetically from patient to patient. When a test picks up the difference, doctors can choose drugs aimed at the specific gene change, known as targeted therapy. The tests also indicate the likely response to treatment, drug resistance, inherited risk and whether any cancer cells remain after treatment. BIRDEM also tests BRCA1 and BRCA2 for inherited breast and ovarian cancer risk, and 27 genes involved in DNA repair.
Samples sent abroad take 15 days to a month to report, he said; testing at home saves money, time and travel. The test needs tissue or, where required, blood, and tissue samples must come with the earlier pathology report and enough cancerous tissue; the hospital says it charges nothing extra for preparing the sample. The laboratory plans to seek ISO 15189:2022 accreditation.
Mohammad Saif Uddin, secretary general of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (BADAS), said many patients go to India because advanced testing is lacking at home; more facilities would reduce that and save foreign currency. Accreditation may take six months to a year, he said. BIRDEM also plans to build its own cancer hospital.
Photo: Konrad Förstner / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Source: Amar Desh
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