GENERAL26 Sept 2026
India needs 5-year policy to make precision cancer care affordable: Expert
India needs a five-year policy plan to make advanced genomic testing and targeted cancer drugs affordable for lower-income patients, says oncologist Dr Bhawna Sirohi. Precision oncology matches treatment to a cancer's specific biomarker, and it already works well in lung cancer. But tests and newer drugs stay costly or unavailable here. She wants molecular tests built into public health schemes.
Key Statutory Highlights
- Precision oncology looks for a specific target or biomarker on cancer cells and matches it with a suitable drug, unlike chemotherapy which can affect normal cells too.
- Dr Bhawna Sirohi is the only cancer specialist from India on a new Lancet Oncology Commission on precision cancer, launched at the World Cancer Congress in Hong Kong.
- Lung cancer patients with certain EGFR mutations can take targeted tablets for years, and such treatment is available under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, though newer drugs remain costly.
Actionable Advice for Taxpayers / Founders:If cancer treatment costs are a worry, ask your doctor whether genomic or molecular testing is actually needed, and confirm what your state scheme or Ayushman Bharat covers before paying out of pocket.
Statutory Disclaimer: TaxQue Shorts are AI-assisted editorial briefs for compliance awareness. This brief has not passed every source check; confirm the original notification before acting. This does not constitute formal legal or CA counsel.
TaxQue News Desk
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