Pathum Raksa Project: Addressing Disparity in Breast Cancer Care Through National Innovation in Thailand

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Biomarker Research

Background:

• Breast cancer presents a significant public health challenge in Thailand, with a notable prevalence of triple-negative breast cancers in women.
• The Pathum Raksa project was initiated in 2015 to investigate and address the high incidence of triple-negative breast cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the underlying causes of high triple-negative breast cancer rates in Thai women.
• To enhance the quality and accuracy of breast cancer biomarker testing nationwide.
• To improve the overall quality of life and survival rates for breast cancer patients in Thailand.

Main Methods:

• A nationwide study involving 19 hospitals and 902 breast cancer patients from 2015 to 2020.
• Development of a unique specimen container and implementation of a resource-stratified strategic plan.
• Formation of multidisciplinary teams and utilization of innovative, locally developed technologies for diagnostics and biomarker testing.

Main Results:

• A significant decrease in triple-negative breast cancer rates was observed in Khon Kaen University (KKU) and Udonthani hospitals (52.8% and 28.9% reduction, respectively).
• Increases in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and HER2-neu+ (score 3+) breast cancer diagnoses were noted post-implementation.
• Luminal A/B subtypes were identified as the most prevalent breast cancer subtypes in both participating hospitals.

Conclusions:

• The Pathum Raksa project successfully enhanced breast cancer biomarker testing quality across Thailand.
• National implementation of this innovative project led to a significant reduction in false-negative biomarker rates.
• Improvements in diagnostic accuracy have positively impacted patient prognosis, treatment strategies, and survival rates for breast cancer patients in Thailand.