Breaking health-care barriers

Center's partnership with The Max Foundation will provide diagnostic tests for underserved chronic myeloid leukemia patients in El Salvador

El Salvador. Edmonds, Wash. The Hutchinson Center. One might think this to be an incongruent triad, but medicine and caring sometimes forge unique connections that can make the world seem a much smaller place.

In the Central American country, 41 poor patients at the Hospital Nacional Rosales in San Salvador need confirmation of the diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia in order to qualify for free treatment with the cancer drug Glivec® (Gleevec in the United States). In Edmonds, a nonprofit cancer advocacy organization called The Max Foundation collaborates with the hospital and is a global administrator of the Glivec International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP) run by the drug manufacturer Novartis. But there is a critical gap between patient and medicine. The test to confirm CML is unavailable in El Salvador; even if it was, the cost would be beyond the patients' reach.

Dr. Jerry Radich Clinical Research Division

Enter the Hutchinson Center. According to Lisa Schneider, director of global alliances at The Max Foundation, an advisor recommended they contact Dr. Jerry Radich, a member of the Clinical Research Division and an expert in leukemia.

"When we talked with Dr. Radich about these patients he responded immediately with an offer to handle the blood testing in his lab free of charge," Schneider said. "This was a generous and welcome answer for the patients we're supporting given that laboratories in Central America charge $150 to $200 — an out-of-reach expense for them."

The blood test used to confirm a CML diagnosis detects the presence of a specific chromosomal mutation, called the Philadelphia chromosome. Cancer patients with a confirmed diagnosis of CML who meet financial eligibility requirements are able to benefit from free treatment with Glivec.

"This is a great example of the potential of partnerships between foundations, the pharmaceutical industry and academic research institutions," Radich said. "Hopefully this project will encourage future collaborations to broaden access to state-of-the-art cancer diagnostics and treatments to underserved populations who need access to advanced medical care."

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