Mithuruwela a non-profit organization committed to supporting those affected by cancer has provided reagents and other consumables required for molecular testing of breast cancer to Sri Lanka’s main cancer hospital- Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama. These reagents will be utilized for testing prognostic as well as therapeutic information by the Consultant Pathologists, a Mithuruwela news release said.

“This donation has enabled ?Apeksha hospital to commence cytogenetic testing of breast cancer for the first time. Although equipment for such testing had been available, financial constraints had not permitted Sri Lanka’s premier cancer institution to start on molecular testing. In addition the resources available at Apeksha were scarcely adequate to cater to the volume of breast cancer patients who come to the hospital at Maharagama for diagnosis and treatment,” it said.

Apeksha has two well established laboratories for testing. The Histopathology Laboratory, a very busy unit there, provides the diagnosis of tumours of the solid organs and handles very large numbers of specimens. It is also the reference centre for cancer diagnosis, which confirms and gives additional information on cancer cases already diagnosed referred from other hospitals.

The Genomics Laboratory is the most recently established laboratory and is equipped with the latest technical facilities. It was established by the Health System Enhancement Project (HSEP) of Ministry of Health as a project funded by the Asian Development Bank.

With the expansion of the services of these laboratories, cancer patients will benefit by the detection of molecular and genetic abnormalities of his or her tumour. This in turn provides vital information for accurate diagnosis, assessment of response to treatment and practicing precision medicine. It will also provide information on prophylactic treatments too.

The Apeksha Hospital records a total of nearly 13,000 new patients annually for treatment. Due to constraints such as the unavailability of sufficient amounts of testing kits and the cost of tests, doctors at this major institution have had to make sad decisions on narrowing down the selection criteria for extra specialized testing .

The donation of reagents by Mithuruwela will boost the testing capacity of Apeksha’s laboratories to a great extent, the release added.

This contribution to Apeksha is not the first time Mithuruwela has played such a pivotal role in supporting advancement in cancer treatment in Sri Lanka. In 2022, the organization donated the necessary reagents to Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital thereby establishing molecular testing for breast cancer in Sri Lanka.

This initiative funded by donations from well -wishers proved to be a great boon as the hospital in Anuradhapura did not have to deal with a great volume of patients and hence decided to offer molecular testing services to other state cancer centres throughout Sri Lanka.

In 2023, the Royal College of Pathologists of the United Kingdom awarded its prestigious Achievement Award for 2023 to the histopathology team at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital.

Mithuruwela has continued its support for the Anuradhapura molecular testing project by donating a second batch of reagents in 2024. This donation as well as the donation to Apeksha was funded by a grant from the women’s garment maker Victoria’s Secret and supported by services from JL Morisons who ensured that the reagents reached the hospitals safely.

Mithuruwela’s Molecular Testing Project (2022, 2024) was the brainchild of its senior advisor Consultant Oncologist Dr Nuradh Joseph.

The organization appeals to the public to help support this cause as the reagents provided so far will be used up within six months. To ensure that cancer patients in Sri Lanka, especially low income patients, receive up- to- date diagnosis and treatment, it is vital that molecular testing be well established in the state health sector and that supplies of the required materials be readily available to the state hospitals.

“Mithuruwela looks forward to a generous public response to this very worthwhile cause,” the release concluded.