Tamara Hussong Milagre, President of EVITA and ePAG Representative at European Reference Network GENTURIS, shared a post on LinkedIn by Precision Medicine, adding:

“As a patient advocate, one question keeps coming back to me: How many lives could we save if we used the technology we already have more effectively?

I was reading this study examining real-world eligibility for germline multigene panel testing in breast cancer, and it reinforced something many patients have experienced firsthand: access to potentially valuable technologies is often limited by outdated criteria, inconsistent implementation, or lack of awareness.

We live in an era where advanced diagnostics, genomic testing, AI, digital health tools, and data-driven medicine are progressing faster than ever. Yet too many patients still face delays, barriers, or missed opportunities to benefit from them.

Innovation only changes outcomes when it reaches people.

As advocates, clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders, we should be asking not only ‘What technology can we build next?’ but also ‘Why aren’t we fully using the tools already available today?’

Every missed diagnosis, delayed test, or unnecessary barrier represents a person, a family, and a chance to intervene earlier.
The future of healthcare will not be defined solely by breakthrough discoveries. It will be defined by our willingness to ensure those discoveries are accessible, equitable, and routinely used in practice.

We don’t have a technology shortage.
We have an implementation gap.

And closing that gap could save far more lives than many of us realize.”

Quoting Precision Medicine:

“Germline testing in breast cancer: broader access may improve detection

A real-world cohort of 556 breast cancer patients found pathogenic germline variants in 24.6%. NCCN criteria captured 98.5% of carriers but were poorly discriminatory, while ESMO criteria identified 68.6%. Importantly, 42.3% of carriers had no family history.

Findings support broader, ideally preoperative, germline testing to guide treatment, surgical planning, risk reduction and cascade testing.”

Title: Real-World Eligibility for Germline Multigene Panel Testing in Breast Cancer: An Evaluation of Current Testing Criteria

Authors: Roxana Pintican, Nicoleta Antone Zenovia, Vlad Alexandru Gata, Natalia Moise, Andrei Roman, Carmen Lisencu, Adrian Pavel Trifa, Ovidiu Balacescu, Madalina Filip, Maria Miclaus, Andreea Catana, Catalin Vlad, Patriciu Achimas-Cadariu