As announced by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania, a new and innovative test will be available to all patients who need it. The cost of one test for the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) budget is about 1 thousand euros.
„For women facing a difficult diagnosis and their loved ones, every day is precious, so our goal is to shorten the path from diagnosis to effective treatment.
Having received all the necessary answers during one comprehensive test, doctors will be able to choose the most accurate help faster, and women will not have to endure the exhausting wait for repeated tests. This is not only a rational use of resources, but first and foremost – greater safety and hope for patients,“ says Minister of Health L. Kukuraitis, emphasizing that this decision was made taking into account the recommendations of the European Society for Medical Oncology.
From now on, one of the most comprehensive next-generation sequencing tests will be financed by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund budget, which will reduce the need for repeated and supplementary tests and allow doctors to quickly obtain all necessary information and make treatment-related decisions without delay.
The adopted changes will allow evaluating important indicators such as the presence of BRCA1/2 gene mutations, genome instability, and homologous recombination deficiency status during a single test.
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The test will be prescribed and financed for patients diagnosed with codes C56, C57.0, and C48 according to disease classification, and diagnosed with FIGO stage III or IV ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal malignant tumor. The test will be performed to make a decision regarding the administration of the drug olaparib.
Despite constantly improving treatment options for epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancer, these diseases remain the most common cause of death in women from gynecological malignancies.
In as many as 70–75% of cases, the disease is diagnosed in late stages when it has already spread. The risk of morbidity is increased by genetic predisposition (BRCA mutations, Lynch syndrome), endometriosis, infertility, age over 63, as well as certain hormonal and lifestyle factors such as smoking or obesity.
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