Precision Cancer Service

Pinpoint the right cancer treatment, first time.

Why this service matters

Cancer diagnoses are rising rapidly, impacting employees and driving some of the highest claim's costs for employers:

50%

1 in 2 people in the UK will get cancer in their lifetime (Cancer Research UK, 2023)
80%

Cases in under-50s have risen 80% globally (BMJ Oncology, 2024)
30%

Cancer now accounts for 30% of private healthcare claims, up from just 1% twenty years ago (Cover Magazine, 2022)
£133b

It costs the UK economy £133 billion a year in lost productivity (Cancer Research, 2025)

What the service offers

In partnership with Further, our Precision Cancer Service uses advanced genomic testing and international oncology expertise to match members with the treatments most likely to work for them.

For a fixed fee per annum, which includes spouse and dependants, your employees will benefit from:

Faster answers, better outcomes – members avoid trial-and-error treatment and return to work sooner.
Cost control – ineffective or harmful treatments are avoided.
Nurse-led continuity – each member has a Healix nurse by their side throughout their journey.
Seamless integration – Healix and Further teams collaborate, including peer-to-peer support for treating oncologists.

How it works

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Information on Precision Cancer Service

Precision Cancer Service

Frequently asked questions

Every tumour and every cancer patient are different. Yet standard cancer pathways often use a “one size fits all” approach. Precision Medicine takes a targeted approach by analysing the genetic drivers of each cancer. This helps identify therapies that are more likely to work, with fewer side effects.
Our Precision Cancer Service, in partnership with Further, provides access to advanced molecular profiling, including Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), which classifies tumours based on their genetic make-up and provides insights that support:
More accurate diagnosis
Personalised treatment planning
Assessment of treatment resistance
Precise prognosis
Different molecular tests look for changes in genes and proteins, and how these influence tumour growth or response to treatment. These may be used individually or in combination:
Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) – analyses thousands of cancer-related gene mutations simultaneously from a small tissue sample
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) – to determine the level of protein expression in a tumour
Tumour Mutational Burden (TMB) – assesses whether a patients may benefit from immunotherapy
These terms are often used interchangeably. All refer to molecular profiling tests that follow similar processes. You may also hear:
Molecular or tumour profiling
Next Generation Sequencing
Biomarker testing
Genetic testing
DNA/RNA mutational analysis
Traditional tests looked for single gene mutations one at a time. With NGS, thousands of mutations can be analysed at once, using only a small tissue sample. NGS can detect rare and novel alterations, hereditary mutations, and provide the molecular evidence needed to select an appropriate targeted therapy. This makes it an invaluable tool in modern cancer care.
Some hospitals now offer genomic testing, but interpreting results can be complex. Many oncologists are not yet trained to use these findings in treatment decisions.
With our Precision Cancer Service, results are reviewed by an Expert Molecular Tumour Board made up of pathologists, oncologists, and genetic specialists. They translate complex science into clear, actionable options for the treating oncologist and the patient.
NGS usually takes 2-4 weeks from the moment the lab receives the tumour sample. Patients should not stop treatment while waiting for the results of any molecular profiling tests.
While precision medicine has applications in other conditions, its strongest evidence and widest use is currently in cancer. Further’s expertise is in serious illness, particularly oncology, which is why our Precision Cancer Service focuses on the cancers and stages where it can make the greatest impact.
Molecular profiling can be carried out for any cancer. However, its greatest value is in stage III and IV cancers. Targeted therapies are already approved for many cancers, including:
Cancer of unknown primary
Colorectal cancer
Breast cancer
Lung cancer
Certain types of leukaemia and lymphoma
Melanoma
Oesophageal and stomach cancer
Ovarian cancer
Thyroid cancer
Even where there is no approved targeted therapy, the service can help patients access novel treatments - for example, through off-label prescribing or clinical trials.
When a patient is diagnosed with cancer, their doctor will usually recommend an initial treatment plan that has proven effective for others with the same type and stage of cancer. This is known as the standard of care.
Molecular profiling (such as genomic testing) and targeted therapies are most valuable in advanced or metastatic cancers before first-line treatment begins, or when standard treatments have not worked. These approaches are designed to identify specific genetic changes in a tumour that can be matched to targeted drugs.
For early-stage cancers, standard treatments are often highly effective, and the likelihood of finding an actionable genetic mutation is low. In these cases, advanced testing like (NGS) may not add clinical value at this stage.
Currently, only a small number of clinical trials have tested targeted therapy as an initial treatment for early-stage cancers, so its use as a first-line option remains limited and largely reserved for specialist clinical settings.
No. Cancer is diagnosed through standard tests such as imaging and pathology. Precision medicine complements these methods by providing deeper insight into the tumour’s genetic make-up, which can guide treatment choices.
A Healix nurse case manager identifies eligible patients and refers them to Further.
A dedicated Case Navigator supports the patient in gathering medical records.
A tumour sample is sent to a specialist laboratory for testing.
Further’s Expert Tumour Board reviews the results and produces a clear, clinically actionable report.
The patient and their oncologist receive guidance on:
On- and off-label therapies
Clinical trial options
Family genetic testing if appropriate
Further provides practical support with trial enrolment or off-label access, including logistics and administration.

A biopsy is usually performed during diagnosis, by removing a small piece of tumour tissue. In most cases, this original sample can be used for molecular testing, no further procedure is required. Further manages the logistics between hospital and lab.
The goal of Precision Medicine is to tailor treatment to each individual cancer so that the treatment is less harmful to normal cells, resulting in fewer side effects for the patient and improving the overall effectiveness of the treatment.
A cancer patient who has had their tumour sequenced could expect any of the following recommendations from their Precision Medicine report depending on the molecular profile of their cancer:
Traditional therapies: Standard chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatments
Novel therapies (on- and off-label): Targeted therapies, immunotherapies, hormone therapies, CAR-T treatment
Clinical trials: Therapies not yet approved as standard treatments and currently in clinical trials
A targeted therapy is a novel type of cancer treatment that precisely targets specific genes and proteins that help cancer cells grow, divide, and spread. Targeted therapies act on specific molecular targets and, in contrast to standard chemotherapy, only attack cancer cells which leads to fewer side effects for the patient.
Targeted therapy drugs can work in several ways:
They can deliver cell-killing substances to cancer cells
They can destroy cancer cells directly
They can stop cancer cells from growing uncontrollably
They can cut off the blood supply that tumours need to grow and survive
Targeted therapies may be used along or alongside other treatments. Over 80 are already approved, with many more available in clinical trials.
“Off-label” medications mean drugs that are used for diseases or conditions they are not approved to treat. This can mean that the drug is:
Approved to treat one type of cancer, but a doctor uses it to treat a different type of cancer
Given in a different way, such as when a drug is approved as a capsule, but it is given instead in an oral solution
Given in a different dose
“Off-label” prescribing is entirely legal and very common in cancer treatment. Often the standard of care for a specific type or stage of cancer will include the off-label use of one or more drugs. Off-label drug use is common in cancer treatment because:
many cancer drugs are effective against more than one type of cancer
cancer treatment often involves the use of combination chemotherapy (treatment using more than one drug) and one or more of these drugs may not be approved for the type of cancer they are being used to treat
Regulatory bodies usually do not approve combinations of chemotherapy. There are so many of them that it would not be practical to approve each combination. The results of research studies published in medical journals and shared in the medical community find new uses for drugs that are already approved. Doctors then adopt the new use, and it may become an accepted and widely used treatment for a different cancer, even if the regulatory body has not approved the drug for that use.
Clinical trials are research studies performed in patients and are aimed at finding new ways to improve treatments and quality of life. Clinical trials are the final step in a long process that begins with careful research in a laboratory. Through clinical trials, doctors determine whether new treatments are safe and effective and work better than current standard of care treatments. Clinical trials can provide patients with access to novel drugs that are not yet available in the clinic.
Clinical trials related to targeted therapies for cancer will usually require the participant to have undergone a molecular profiling test first. Knowing the genomic make-up of the tumour will help with selecting the most appropriate trial for the individual patient, increasing their chance of successful enrolment.
Not all clinical trials involve placebos but, where they do, the placebo is never “no treatment”, it is always the next best treatment available. Clinical trials for cancer are usually testing how much better a new treatment is vs the current accepted treatment for that cancer. The potential trial candidate is fully informed about the trial before they enrol and can decide if the trial is right for them.
Precision medicine is still new, and not all oncologists are trained to interpret genomic reposts. The service helps by:
Providing clear, practical reports
Offering peer-to-peer discussion with the Expert Tumour Board
Supporting clinical trial searches and applications
This ensures both the patient and the oncologist are supported with the best available information.
Somatic testing or Tumour testing evaluates for acquired genetic alterations that occur in a cell. 90 - 95% of all cancers are the result of acquired or somatic genetic alterations. Somatic testing is typically performed on tumour tissue (a solid biopsy) but can also be done using a liquid biopsy (blood) that analyses circulating tumour DNA in the bloodstream.
Germline or Genetic testing evaluates for inherited mutations that are found in virtually all cells of the body and are derived from the fundamental DNA of an individual. Inherited mutations are those a person is born with. They are passed on by their parents. Germline testing is done on the cancer patient´s healthy tissue, i.e., using a saliva sample.
Biomarkers are measurable indicators of normal or abnormal processes in our body. Biomarkers can be proteins, genes, or gene mutations. Diagnostic biomarker tests can confirm the presence of a disease or condition of interest or identifies an individual with a subtype of the disease. The name of a biomarker is usually a 3- or 4-letter abbreviation. Examples include HER2 in breast cancer or EGFR in lung cancer.
Pharmacogenomics is the study of how a person’s unique genetic makeup (genome) influences his or her response to medications.

Why this service matters

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Information on Precision Cancer Service

Frequently asked questions

What is Precision Medicine?

What tests are included in Precision Medicine?

What is the difference between Precision Medicine and Genomic Testing?

Why does Further use Next Generation Sequencing?

Can my hospital do this test?

How long do the tests take?

Why is the Precision Cancer Service only offered in relation to cancer?

Which cancers can benefit from Precision Medicine?

When is Precision Medicine most effective?

Will Precision Medicine confirm my cancer diagnosis?

How does the Precision Cancer Service work?

How is the biopsy sample collected?

What are the possible outcomes of Precision Medicine?

What is a targeted therapy?

What are off-label medications?

Is “off-label” medication considered experimental treatment?

What is a clinical trial?

Can patients enrol in a clinical trial without having undergone molecular profiling?

Will patients be given a placebo on a clinical trial?

What if the treating oncologist is not supportive?

Glossary of useful terms