New evidence from the Netherlands reveals why a potentially practice-changing diagnostic tool remains underutilised: systemic barriers rather than cost. Research led by Prof. Sabine Siesling identified three critical obstacles limiting gene expression testing adoption among eligible breast cancer patients.
First, clinicians lack sufficient awareness of testing benefits and appropriate patient selection criteria. Second, laboratory infrastructure and capacity constraints limit availability. Third, integration gaps in clinical workflows prevent systematic testing implementation. These findings highlight that removing financial barriers—while necessary—is insufficient without addressing underlying systemic challenges.
For healthcare providers and policymakers, the takeaway is clear: successful implementation of diagnostic innovations requires coordinated investment in clinician education, laboratory infrastructure expansion, and workflow redesign. Policy enablement must be paired with operational support to translate evidence into clinical practice.
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