Removing Barriers
More often than not, improving access improves survival.
Mainstreaming Genetics
There is an unfortunate lack of availability for genetic counselling and testing in Asia. This is due to the high cost, lack of awareness among healthcare professionals, lack of access to appropriately trained genetic counsellors / clinical geneticists, and psychosocial barriers. Additionally, there have been limited studies on the prevalence of germline alterations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 among ovarian cancers.
Genetic testing results are unique to each individual, and must go hand-in-hand with genetics counselling. While genetic screening is offered by many hospitals, there are only three fully qualified genetic counsellors in Malaysia.
What we’re doing now
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Working with many doctors around Malaysia, we completed the MaGiC study (Mainstreaming Genetic Counselling for Genetic Testing of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in Malaysian Ovarian Cancer Patients), which increased access to genetic counselling and testing from 2% to 58% of ovarian cancer patients.