rom the 1st May, many thousands of Australians will have better access to sophisticated, MBS-funded molecular tests to diagnose rare or less common cancers in a bid to get faster diagnoses and quicker treatment.
In the cancera disease where abnormal cells split without control and spread to other nearby body tissue and/or organs sphere, ‘rare’ defines a type of cancer that has fewer than 6 incidences per 100,000 head of population annually, and one that is ‘less common’ is a type that has between 6-12 incidences per 100,000 head of population annually. Under this umbrella comes a diverse, broad group of cancers, each with varying incidences, prognoses and survival outcomes, and in Australia, approximately 52,000 people diagnosed with a rare or less common cancer (RLC) every year. So although these cancers are, on their own, rare or less common, when collected together, they affect a significant proportion of the population. Yet, despite the high incidence of RLCs as a collective, there is a proportional lack of awareness and funding.
Rare and less common cancers are often differentiated from more common cancers according to their characteristic mutations and genetic composition; often they’re not eligible for the same diagnostic tests or treatments funded by the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), being subjected to what is known as a ‘rare cancer tax’. Molecular tests are a way of immediately identifying the various mutations unique to certain cancers, but have previously been inaccessible to many here in Australia due to the cost. This means that Australians who have a rare or less common cancer have often had to wait months or years to find out the correct diagnosisthe process of identifying a disease based on signs and symptoms, patient history and medical test results and embark on the best treatment plan, if any exists.
That’s why we, at Rare Cancers Australia, are thrilled to pass on the news that, as of 1st May, the government has commenced funding sophisticated molecular tests on the MBS for certain rare and less common cancers, including brain tumours, lymphomas, sarcomas, and rare salivary gland and ovarian tumours, amongst others.
These new MBS-funded molecular tests (somatic gene tests) will open up treatment pathways that are currently not available to rare and less common cancer patients. This will mean that patients with these cancers can access more accurate, rapid diagnoses in a more equitable fashion, and better treatment options in a more timely manner (compared to the usual extensive delays experienced by RLC patients). This will consequently have a positive knock-on effect on the prognosisto predict how a disease/condition may progress and what the outcome might be and quality of lifethe overall well-being of a person diagnosed with cancer, encompassing both physical and emotional aspects of health for anyone diagnosed with a rare or less common cancer.
In the words of Professor Sandra O’Toole from the Royal College of Pathologists of Australia, “I believe this is going to be a game changer for how we diagnose these types of cancers. The earlier a cancer is detected and the earlier treatment is started, the better the outcome for the patient.”
By Dr Emily Isham