Theranostics compassionate access

As there was no trial running for my particular cancer, treatment costs were high and not covered by Medicare or Personal Health Insurance.

-Terry-

Terry was referred onto the Theranostics Compassionate Access program after his sarcoma cancer with metastatic disease flared up aggressively for a second time. A sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that begins in the connective tissues of the body such as fat, muscle, blood vessels, nerves, bone and cartilage and can develop anywhere in the body.

With rare and recurring cancers like sarcoma, Theranostics treatment offers the possibility to deliver high dose targeted radiation to cancer sites specifically targeting the abnormal cells while limiting damage to surrounding healthy tissue.1

Thanks to the Compassionate Access program, Terry was able to access this innovative treatment and has shared what this has meant for him and his family:

“When my cancer returned, having completed all traditional treatment, we were desperate to find another option. My wife had heard about Theranostics while attending a talk by Dr Nat Lenzo at a GenesisCare seminar. As there was no trial running for my particular cancer, treatment costs were high and not covered by Medicare or Personal Health Insurance.

When the GenesisCare Foundation generously assisted us on recommendation by my Doctor and the Theranostics team, it was a great relief, as having some of the financial burden taken care of helped us enormously, both financially and mentally. We would like to thank the GenesisCare Foundation for supporting us through these challenging times.”

The program is designed to address access challenges to this innovative treatment specifically for patients with prostate and rare cancers.

Prostate cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in Australia and is the second most common cause of male cancer death in Australia after lung cancer.2

More men now die from prostate cancer than women die from breast cancer3.

Rare cancers are defined as ones which have fewer than 6 diagnoses per 100,000 of the population. Over the years, although there’s been dramatic reductions in mortality for common cancers due to early diagnoses and improved treatments, this trend has not been seen in rare cancers.4 A contributing fact for this is treatment availability.4

Theranostics treatment may provide outcomes for patients who have failed other therapies. Unfortunately, Theranostics treatment is currently not reimbursed by the government and therefore expensive.

GenesisCare Foundation’s Theranostics Compassionate Access Program may support patients, where no alternative treatment options exist, by offering a treatment that promotes hope, and potentially provides a better quality-of-life.

The program will also allow the gathering of data on the treatment to support the case for it to be included into standard advanced cancer management.

The program was made possible by generous Theranostic patients and by Doctor donations.

References:

1. 1 Rudra S, et al. Cancer Med 2019; 8:2123-2132.
2. Cancer Australia, 2022, Prostate Cancer in Australia statistics, Australian Government. Available at: www.canceraustralia.gov.au/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/statistics. Accessed on: 25/3/22.
3. Cancer Australia, 2022, Cancer in Australia Statistics, Australian Government. Available at: www.canceraustralia.gov.au/impacted-cancer/what-cancer/cancer-australia-statistics. Accessed on: 25/3/22.
4. AIHW. Cancer in Australia. 2021. Available at: www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer/cancer-in-australia-2021/summary. Accessed on: 25/3/22.