THE FREE CANCER TEST ADDING YEARS TO LIVES IS NOW REACHING 25,000 MORE AUSSIES
A free cancer test that reads the genetic fingerprint of a tumour is about to reach thousands more Australians, and for some people it is already adding precious years of life.
On November 6, the not-for-profit organisation Omico announced the four laboratories that will deliver the next stage of its national program, which will offer free testing to 25,000 Australians.
The expansion is backed by $71 million in federal funding announced in this year's Budget, keeping the program running until 2028 to 2029.
For people living with advanced or hard-to-treat cancers, and the families who love them, it is genuinely hopeful news.
How the cancer test works
The test is called comprehensive genomic profiling.
Instead of looking only at where a cancer started, such as the breast, bowel or brain, it examines hundreds of genes inside the tumour to find the changes driving its growth.
ABC News reported that the testing looks at roughly 500 to 600 genes that can be altered in any cancer.
If doctors find a specific change, they may be able to match the patient with a targeted medicine or a clinical trial designed for that exact change.
One oncologist told the ABC that being on a matched treatment can double survival.
A young teacher's story
Emily Capper was just 31 when she was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, and was told she might have as little as nine months to live.
That was almost five years ago.
When her tumour stopped responding to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, genomic profiling found a gene change called a BRAF mutation.
She was then able to join a clinical trial of a targeted drug.
Ten months on, her cancer has stopped growing, and she is still working as a primary school teacher and ticking items off her bucket list.
"It's meant everything," Emily told the ABC.
Who can ask about the cancer test
The testing is offered through Omico's Cancer Screening Program, part of a wider national initiative known as PrOSPeCT.
According to Omico's patients and families page, you may be eligible if you are 16 or older and have an advanced or incurable cancer, or an earlier diagnosed cancer with a poor outlook.
Eligible patients need to be referred by their oncologist, and the profiling is free.
Where possible, the results are used to link people with suitable treatments or clinical trials.
The first stage of the program supported around 23,000 referrals between March 2023 and December 2025.
Omico estimates the new stage could help about 1,133 more Australians reach the five-year survival mark.
You can read the full announcement on the Omico website.
The labs doing the work
The four laboratories chosen through a national tender are SA Pathology, Foundation Medicine with Roche, LifeStrands working with Mayo Clinic Laboratories, and Melbourne's Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
Omico says the aim is to make testing available to people no matter where they live, including rural and regional areas.
What it means for families
It is important to keep expectations realistic.
The ABC reported that only about one in four people with an incurable solid tumour can currently be helped this way.
Some matched medicines are not yet subsidised on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, so people who are not on a trial may face high costs for private prescriptions.
Even so, Health Minister Mark Butler has said the government wants genomic profiling to become a standard part of cancer care.
Practical next steps
If you or someone you love is living with an advanced cancer, it may be worth writing down a few questions before the next appointment.
Ask your oncologist whether genomic profiling could be suitable and whether a referral to Omico is an option.
It can also help to ask whether there are any clinical trials that might be a good fit.
Bring a friend or family member along to take notes, as these conversations can feel overwhelming.
Every cancer journey is different, so speak to your treating team about what is right for you.
For many families, simply knowing this option exists could open a new conversation and, hopefully, new possibilities.
