Precision Oncology

Understanding an individual tumour in more detail, so that treatment decisions rest on more information.

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This page is for understanding, not diagnosis or individual treatment advice. If you are currently under treatment, decisions should be made together with your treating physician, and you should not change or stop existing treatment on your own.

What precision oncology means

Precision oncology means choosing treatment with reference to the genomic characteristics of an individual person's tumour, rather than by cancer type alone. Once the alterations in a tumour are known, the medical team can consider whether a drug acts on that specific mechanism. One thing to understand from the outset: not every tumour carries a genomic alteration for which a targeted drug exists (an actionable alteration). Testing may find an alteration with a matching therapy, an alteration with no available therapy, or nothing of significance. All three are real outcomes, and each one informs what happens next.

The pathway at YOUNIFY

Care runs in three steps: diagnostic imaging → genomic profiling of the tumour → planning together with you and your treating physician.

Every step is designed to work with the team already treating you, not to replace them.

Compare

Tissue testing versus blood testing

The two give different views and carry different limits. The medical team picks whichever answers the clinical question in your case.

Tissue testing versus blood testing
	Tissue (NGS)	Blood (liquid biopsy / ctDNA)
Sample	Tissue from the tumour	Blood
Practicality	Requires sufficient tissue; a further biopsy may be needed	A standard blood draw
Strength	Reads the tumour directly	Easier to repeat, and may reflect disease at several sites
Limitation	Older tissue may not reflect the current state; some sites are hard to biopsy	ctDNA may be too scarce to detect, so a negative result does not prove absence

The pathway, and what to know

Step 1: Diagnostic imaging

CT or MRI shows the location, size, and spread of disease, which is the baseline every plan depends on.

Step 2: Genomic profiling of the tumour

There are two main routes: from tissue already stored or newly taken (tissue NGS), and from blood, which looks for fragments of tumour DNA circulating in the bloodstream (liquid biopsy / ctDNA). The medical team decides which to start with, or whether to combine them, based on the disease, the tissue available and the clinical question. Biomarkers commonly assessed include EGFR, ALK, ROS1, HER2, BRAF, KRAS, RET, NTRK and MET, along with markers relevant to immunotherapy such as PD-L1, MSI and TMB. What is actually tested depends on the disease and the panel chosen.

Step 3: Targeted therapy and immunotherapy

Targeted therapy acts on a specific mechanism a cancer cell uses to grow, so it is considered when testing finds a matching alteration; many drugs in this class are taken orally (oral TKIs). Immunotherapy works differently, helping the immune system recognise and act on cancer cells; its use is guided by markers such as PD-L1, MSI or TMB together with the clinical picture. Both classes have side effects that require monitoring, and neither suits every patient. The medical team explains the expected benefit and the risks before anything begins. Where a drug must be given intravenously, we refer to a partner hospital for administration.

Cancers we work with

Lung · gastrointestinal (gastric, oesophageal, pancreatic, hepatobiliary) · colorectal · breast · prostate. For treatment outside the clinic's scope, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and cancer surgery, we coordinate referral to partner facilities and work alongside the team already caring for you.

Limitations you should know

Not every tumour carries an alteration for which a targeted drug exists, and results may not change the treatment plan · testing takes time to return, which has to be weighed against how urgently treatment is needed · a negative result does not prove no alteration is present, particularly with blood-based testing · a tumour's alterations can change over time and with treatment · these tests are not cancer screening for people without a diagnosis · having genomic information is not a promise of any outcome and does not replace decisions made with your treating physician.

Costs

Cost depends on the type of testing, the breadth of the panel chosen and the individual care plan. The medical team assesses you and confirms all costs before anything begins. You are welcome to ask for an indicative range on LINE or WhatsApp first.

Before starting

Who this testing tends to help

Genomic profiling helps in some situations and not others. The medical team assesses with you, first, whether the information is likely to change a decision at all.

Not sure whether to test?Send your diagnosis and existing results and the medical team will tell you plainly whether the information is likely to change your decision.Ask our medical team

Often useful when

You have a cancer diagnosis and want more information behind a decision
Current treatment is losing effect and next options are being considered
You want a second opinion on the approach being taken
You have genomic results already and want a multidisciplinary reading

Not what this answers

People without a cancer diagnosis: this is not screening for the general population
Situations needing an immediate answer, where treatment must start quickly
An expectation that a result will assure an outcome

If the result changes nothing

That is a real and not uncommon outcome. We explain what the result means and how it can still inform later decisions.

We will not propose further testing that has no clinical reason behind it.

Care Pathway

Send your records: diagnosis, pathology report, and the most recent imaging you have.
Records and imaging are reviewed to establish location, size and spread of disease.
Genomic profiling is arranged, from tissue or from blood, whichever suits your case.
Results and a reasoned proposal are explained to you and shared with your treating physician.

FAQ

Do I need existing tissue, and what if there is none?

Tissue already stored at another facility can usually be requested without a new biopsy. Where there is none, or too little, the medical team considers alternatives such as blood-based testing or taking further tissue, weighed against your physical condition.

Will testing always find a targeted drug?

No. Not every tumour carries an alteration for which a targeted drug exists. Testing may find an alteration with no available therapy, or nothing of significance, and that information still informs planning.

I am being treated at another hospital. Can I still consult you?

Yes, and we encourage you to continue with the team treating you. Our role is to add information for your decision. You should not adjust or stop existing treatment on your own.

Should my family be tested too?

Profiling a tumour's genome is a different question from inherited genetic testing within a family. If a result suggests a possible inherited component, the medical team explains it and advises on the appropriate route.

What should I bring to a first consultation?

Your diagnosis and cancer type, pathology report, most recent imaging, current medication list and treatment history. The fuller the picture, the more precisely the team can assess it.

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