Scrutable

Posted: **Wed Mar 23, 2022 9:29 am**

I was surprised to see a advert on a London Underground train for, apparently, a genetic typing of your tumour, which the providers claim can enable precision treatment of your cancer. Tests starting from £1500.
This
They seem to be an accredited medical lab in Cambridge. They don't offer any therapies, and don't make any claims beyond "better outcomes", if your oncologist uses the test results to tailor a therapy. So probably legal. But I suppose the point of putting it in the underground is to get the sufferers to pester their doctors.

They also offer Covid testing.

Does this look OK? If you get this test, will your oncologist realistically be able to give you a better treatment? I thought personalised cancer treatments were in general vaaaairy expensive and leading edge. Are they even approved therapies?

Posted: **Wed Mar 23, 2022 1:10 pm**

IvanV wrote: ↑
Wed Mar 23, 2022 9:29 am
I was surprised to see a advert on a London Underground train for, apparently, a genetic typing of your tumour, which the providers claim can enable precision treatment of your cancer. Tests starting from £1500.
This
They seem to be an accredited medical lab in Cambridge. They don't offer any therapies, and don't make any claims beyond "better outcomes", if your oncologist uses the test results to tailor a therapy. So probably legal. But I suppose the point of putting it in the underground is to get the sufferers to pester their doctors.

They also offer Covid testing.

Does this look OK? If you get this test, will your oncologist realistically be able to give you a better treatment? I thought personalised cancer treatments were in general vaaaairy expensive and leading edge. Are they even approved therapies?

I was looking at that ad on the Tube last night. I thought only a few types of cancer currently have personalised treatments and that they are mostly expensive. It certainly set off my skeptic radar

I suspect it's all legal but taking advantage of desperate people who don't understand treatment options. People should check with their oncologist first about whether there is any benefit. I also suspect they're capitalising on all the scare stories in the media about long wait times post Covid on the NHS.

The ad looks like it's targeted at people with private health insurance already maybe?

Posted: **Wed Mar 23, 2022 5:24 pm**

There's quite a few people without access to the NHS who travel to Harley St. etc. for treatment, as well.

Scrutable

Ad for tumour genetic analysis seen on London Underground

Ad for tumour genetic analysis seen on London Underground

Re: Ad for tumour genetic analysis seen on London Underground

Re: Ad for tumour genetic analysis seen on London Underground