A revolutionary new ‘tracking system’ is helping The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre make sure that patients who need whole genome sequencing can get their results more quickly, allowing them to start their treatment sooner.
It has been introduced particularly to help people with cancer of unknown primary (CUP), the diagnosis given when cancer has spread and it is not easy to tell where it began in the body.
CUP is harder to treat than cancers with a known origin because most cancer treatments now are aimed at treating specific tumour types or cell changes. When it isn’t known what part of the body the cancer originated in, it’s much harder to identify suitable treatments.
Genomic tests – including whole genome sequencing – can help clinical teams learn more about the cell changes or faulty genes that have caused the CUP so they can give patients those treatments that are likely to be most effective for them.
These tests are very complex, however, and can take several weeks to carry out so it is important that samples from the patient’s cancer reach specialist genomics laboratories as quickly as possible.
That’s why The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre has introduced radiofrequency ID (RFID) tagging to track samples throughout their journey to the Liverpool Clinical Laboratories (LCL) team in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
Samples from patients who have had biopsies in the Interventional Radiology suite at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool are placed in a red bag fitted with a specific radiofrequency tracking device which sends signals showing its position. Staff can then track the bag on screen as it is taken from Clatterbridge to the laboratory in the Royal Liverpool next door.
Using the special red bag also makes it much clearer to laboratory staff that these are samples for genomic tests which need to be frozen immediately and prioritised for urgent transfer to the specialist genomics laboratories.
Acute Oncology Nurse Consultant Alison Taylor, who specialises in caring for people diagnosed with cancer of unknown primary (CUP), said:
These samples are very precious and we need to make sure they get to the specialist genomic laboratories as quickly and safely as possible.
It’s fantastic that whole genome sequencing is now available on the NHS for people with CUP but it’s a complex process that takes several weeks. That’s why it’s so important that we do all we can to reduce any delays. It means patients can start their treatment more quickly, which is particularly important for harder-to-treat cancers like CUP.
Introducing the new tracking system alongside other changes in how genomic samples are managed has helped The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre reduce turnaround times by almost half.
Dave Croft, Technical Change Manager in The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre’s Digital Team, said:
The RFID system makes it possible for us to track smaller medical devices across our hospital and also in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital next door. This helps our Medical Devices team track down assets for maintenance and allows ward staff to easily find their devices in the building.
As with the CUP sample tracking, the system can be extended to track other high-value items in the hospital, reducing the time spent locating devices needed for patient care.
Whole genome sequencing and other genomic tests are carried out in specialist laboratories in each region. In our region, it is delivered by the North West Genomics Laboratory Hub.