Precision Oncology
Precision Oncology
Understanding an individual tumour in more detail, so that treatment decisions rest on more information.
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 four steps: diagnostic imaging → genomic profiling of the tumour → molecular tumour board → 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 (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 — 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 — the baseline every plan depends on. We coordinate imaging with a partner imaging centre, and if you already have scans from another facility you are welcome to bring them: repeat imaging is unnecessary where the existing study still answers the question. (draft wording, pending confirmation before publication)
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. Sequencing is carried out with a partner laboratory (draft wording, pending confirmation before publication). 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 — Molecular tumour board
Genomic results are often open to more than one interpretation. A molecular tumour board (MTB) is where clinicians from several specialties review the findings together and set out a reasoned proposal, including which parts of the evidence remain unclear. The output is a proposal to inform your decision — something to discuss with your treating physician — not an instruction to change treatment. (draft wording, pending confirmation before publication)
Step 4 — 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 — 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.
How your genetic information is handled
Genetic information is a special category of personal data under section 26 of Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act. We ask for consent case by case before any sample is sent, and explain where it goes, how long it is kept and who can see the result. Where testing involves transferring data outside Thailand, we tell you and seek separate consent. Details are in our privacy policy. (draft wording, pending confirmation before publication)
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.
Маршрут лечения
- 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.
- The molecular tumour board reviews the findings together.
- Results and a reasoned proposal are explained to you and shared with your treating physician.
Прайс-лист
ПроцедураStarting Таиланд price (฿)Starting Таиланд price (AUD)Стандартная цена (Australia) (AUD)
Малоинвазивные онкологические процедуры
Радиочастотная абляция (опухоли)50,000A$2,174—
* Ориентировочные цены приведены только для справки. Окончательная стоимость зависит от индивидуальной оценки. Зарубежные цены — ориентировочные рыночные оценки исключительно для сравнения; для персонального расчёта свяжитесь с нашей командой.
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.
How long do results take?
It depends on the test and the laboratory used. The medical team tells you the expected window before anything is sent. (draft wording, pending confirmation before publication)
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.
Результаты индивидуальны. Перед лечением проконсультируйтесь с врачом.