St. Luke’s Medical Center launched its Cancer Genomics Service on Wednesday at its Quezon City hospital to help Filipino cancer patients access personalized treatment, identify inherited cancer risks and guide preventive care for their families, as the hospital seeks to expand precision medicine in the Philippines.
St. Luke’s Medical Center President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis P. Serrano said the initiative establishes a clearer roadmap for the hospital’s development of cancer genomics and precision medicine over the next five to 10 years, with ambitions extending beyond the institution to the country’s broader healthcare system.
“Gone are the days [of] one-size-fits-all category for treatment,” Mr. Serrano said, noting that cancer care increasingly requires clinicians to determine what individual patients need based on the characteristics of their disease.
He said the hospital was bringing together local experts and Filipino specialists who had returned from overseas training to help advance the field, adding that the initiative was intended to contribute to the future of medicine in the Philippines.
St. Luke’s Genomics and Precision Medicine Center Chair Joyce L. Porto said the new service builds on the hospital’s existing Cancer Specialty Center, which already provides multidisciplinary cancer care through medical, surgical and radiation oncologists.
“Many patients go abroad after receiving a diagnosis here to seek specialized care. But several of us have returned to the Philippines — like myself — specifically to serve our country. So why not make this service accessible within our own institution?” Ms. Porto said.
She said the goal was to create a coordinated service that would allow patients to access genomic testing, expert interpretation and counseling locally rather than navigate separate departments and providers.
The service initially focuses on cancer genomics, with plans to expand into other medical specialties as clinical needs and supporting evidence develop.
TESTING AND TREATMENT
St. Luke’s Medical Center Cancer Institute Consultant and Oncologist Mel Valerie C. Ordinario said cancer is fundamentally a genetic disease, with DNA changes influencing how tumors develop, spread and respond to treatment.
Genomic testing can help clinicians identify molecular changes associated with a cancer, determine whether targeted therapies may be appropriate and assess potential eligibility for clinical trials. Separate testing can identify inherited genetic changes that may increase cancer risk among patients and their relatives.
The service has three main components: tumor genomic testing, hereditary cancer risk assessment and genetic counseling. Results are reviewed by a molecular tumor board composed of relevant specialists who work together to determine appropriate treatment strategies.
Hereditary cancer assessment may also help guide screening and preventive measures for relatives who could share an inherited risk, the hospital said.
Ms. Ordinario said patients may be referred for testing based on their diagnosis and clinical history. Possible indicators for hereditary cancer assessment include a cancer diagnosis before age 50, a strong family history of related cancers, multiple primary cancers or certain rare cancer types.
Patients do not need to determine which genomic test they require before seeking consultation. The Cancer Specialty Center provides an initial assessment and directs them to the appropriate pathway, with a patient navigator helping coordinate the process.
The service also accommodates patients who already have genomic test results and need expert interpretation or genetic counseling.
Ms. Porto said genomic medicine has applications beyond treatment selection, including diagnosis and preventive care. Identifying an inherited genetic risk in one patient, for instance, could help relatives make better-informed decisions about screening and prevention.
“Your patient isn’t just the individual sitting in front of you; your patient is the entire family,” she said.
COST AND ACCESS
The cost of genomic testing remains a challenge, with many tests still paid for out of pocket, Ms. Ordinario said.
The hospital is working with its administrators to make the service more cost-effective without compromising quality. She said the final pricing for the full cancer genomics service was still being determined at the time of the launch.
As a reference, the multidisciplinary case review offered through the existing Cancer Specialty Clinic costs around ₱6,000 to ₱7,000. This is separate from the cost of genomic testing, which depends on the tests required.
Testing is currently conducted through external partner laboratories, with samples processed through St. Luke’s Pathology. The hospital aims to establish in-house testing capabilities within the next few years, subject to funding.
Ordinario said St. Luke’s already has clinicians, molecular pathologists and technical expertise that could support such a facility.
She added that genomic testing is not yet covered by PhilHealth, although discussions are ongoing among government agencies and healthcare stakeholders on advancing precision medicine and potentially providing partial coverage or reimbursement.
The hospital currently operates the service through its Cancer Specialty Clinic on the fifth floor of the Cancer Institute at its main hospital. Dedicated hotlines for its Quezon City and Global City branches are also being established, with patients to be directed to the appropriate facility through a common referral process.
FILIPINO GENOMIC DATA
Beyond providing personalized treatment, St. Luke’s hopes to help address the limited representation of Filipino patients in global genomic databases.
Ms. Porto said genomic research has historically drawn heavily from people of European ancestry, leaving Filipino genetic data underrepresented. This limits the ability of clinicians to determine how findings from international studies apply to Filipino patients.
She said the hospital aims to contribute research that better reflects the country’s population, working alongside government institutions, universities and other healthcare partners.
Ms. Ordinario likewise emphasized the need for a localized reference database to identify genetic variations among Filipino patients and improve the interpretation of genomic findings for local clinical use.
A national initiative to sequence Filipino genomes is also being pursued, she said, as part of broader efforts to establish baseline data for the population.
St. Luke’s plans to expand precision medicine beyond oncology into fields such as neurology, cardiovascular medicine, reproductive medicine and pharmacogenomics, subject to clinical need and evidence.
Ms. Porto said the hospital intends to integrate its genomic expertise across its Quezon City and Global City facilities through shared referral pathways, genetic counseling, laboratory networks and clinical standards.
“Precision medicine is not a single machine for a single test. It is a way of practicing medicine, and it will only succeed if it lives in every department and in both hospitals,” she said.
The hospital also hopes to promote precision medicine education among medical students, healthcare professionals and other learners as genomic approaches become more widely used in clinical practice.
For St. Luke’s, the launch marks the beginning of a longer-term effort to develop local expertise, strengthen research and make genomic information more accessible to Filipino patients and their families. — Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba