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New in-country testing advances breast cancer care in Samoa and Tonga
The Pacific Community (SPC) is enhancing breast cancer diagnosis and management in the Pacific Islands, where it stands as the most common cancer affecting women. Through a vital new laboratory strengthening initiative, Samoa and Tonga are now better equipped to provide faster, more accurate diagnoses, paving the way for improved patient outcomes.
Building Local Expertise
A key part of this initiative involved specialised training. SPC supported two scientists, one from Samoa and one from Tonga, to attend a short training attachment at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital Histopathology laboratory in Fiji. There, they learnt Immunohistochemistry (IHC) tissue staining, a sophisticated diagnostic technique.
"Performing Immunohistochemistry test is a tedious process," noted Samoan scientist Ms. Maeva AhYen. "One must ensure that the testing environment is perfect and the right tissue condition with appropriate semithin tissue sections to allow good penetration of tissue by immune markers. When one of these conditions is not met, then we will end up with wrong interpretations of the tumour status, therefore the inappropriate treatment".
The Power of Local Testing
Immunohistochemistry is a game-changer for cancer care. The test helps confirm the origin of cancer cells and how aggressive they are. Crucially, it also determines how a patient’s cancer will respond to hormonal treatments like Tamoxifen, a first-line drug used locally.
The presence of Estrogen (ER) and Progesterone (PR) receptors, identified through IHC , indicates that the cancer will likely respond well to such treatments.
Microscopic images showing breast cancer cells. The brown staining in the "PR Positive" and "ER Positive" slides indicates the presence of receptors, which helps guide treatment decisions.
Having this capability locally is transformative. It dramatically reduces the turnaround time for diagnosis, provides timely guidance to surgeons, and lowers the cost of sending specimens to overseas labs.
A Brighter Future for Cancer Care
After her training, Ms. AhYen returned to Samoa to implement the service and train her colleagues at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital laboratory in Apia. SPC provided essential equipment and the first batch of staining supplies to both Samoa and Tonga to get the service running.
Samoa's Pathologist, Dr. Seventeen Toumoua, expressed his excitement for this "new milestone," highlighting that it will "fast-track cancer diagnosis and the clinical decisions on appropriate treatment".
This technology establishes a platform that can be expanded to include markers for other cancers, creating a more economically viable and effective health system for Pacific Island countries. SPC plans to expand this capability to Vanuatu and Kiribati soon.
This vital programme is supported by funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia, with training assistance from the Fiji Ministry of Health.
