National Oncology Institute: AED 300 genetic screening for ovarian cancer

A research team from the National Institute of Oncology in Rabat (Ino) revealed, in a study published in the international scientific journal Diagnostic Pathology, that it was able for the first time to conduct an advanced genetic examination locally within the public health sector in Morocco, to guide the selection of some treatments directed to patients with ovarian cancer. It is related to the HRD (DNA analog repair insufficiency) examination, which is performed on a tumor biopsy to determine the extent to which the patient has benefited from drugs of the PARP inhibitor class, after diagnosis and not as a means of early detection. The study included, For about two years, 215 patients with advanced stage high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma were followed up between March 2024 and March 2026. The team says that this is the first time that these analyses have been conducted locally in the Moroccan public sector, and the first North African regiment to undergo a full HRD analysis locally. Out of 215 samples, 158 samples gave conclusive results, while 57 samples (26.5%) failed quality tests due to DNA degradation or poor quantity. As follows: Results of HRD examination in 158 category conclusive cases Number of cases Percentage positive HRD (analog repair insufficiency) 87 cases 55.1% of which mutations BRCA1 or BRCA2 50 cases — positive HRD without mutation BRCA 37 cases 42.5% samples failed the quality test 57 cases 26.5% and the examination took on average about three weeks to issue the result. The cost of the examination: From 13 thousand dirhams to 300 dirhams, the reference cost for this examination globally was about 1408 dollars. He was initially assigned to the National Cancer Institute up to About 13 thousand dirhams, before dropping to about 300 dirhams only for the patient, thanks to a support program that provides vouchers from partner pharmaceutical companies, along with the institution's budgets that covered the cost of equipment and laboratory resources. The researchers confirm that the industrial partners had no role in the design of the study or the analysis of its results. The next challenge: Continuity and mainstreaming warns the research team that the biggest challenge remains in the continuity of funding, as patients benefit from this examination at a low cost associated with a support program from companies medications, not stable health coverage. The researchers call for an economic-health study to assess the feasibility of universal screening, and for investments in equipment and training to expand this service through a network of major referral hospital centers in the Kingdom, rather than confining it to Rabat. The importance of this type of screening is that ovarian cancer is often detected in advanced stages due to the absence of clear symptoms in its early stages, which makes the accuracy of choosing the appropriate treatment a critical opportunity to improve patients' response to treatment.