FAQs for Diagnostic Navigation Services

Here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about Navexio’s Diagnostic Navigation Services that we have received from patients and their families.

Specific FAQs about “General Questions” can be found here.

Specific FAQs about “Oncology Nurse Navigation” can be found here.

  • Navexio can work with cancer patients to assess what diagnostic tests have already been performed, and more importantly what tests have not been performed, and then make recommendations to ensure that all of the appropriate and cutting-edge diagnostics are pursued - specific to your cancer type. Not all tests and technologies are the same, and so Navexio uses its expertise to recommend the most appropriate test(s). This knowledge can provide invaluable guidance towards the most appropriate treatments using precision oncology principles.

  • Navexio will help you identify diagnostic testing that can be pursued using precision oncology principles to ensure every treatment option available for your cancer is being considered. Once test results are received, Navexio will provide recommendations on next steps for your treatment planning to share with your healthcare team.

  • Navexio’s Diagnostic Navigators are focused on optimizing treatment options by ensuring an accurate biomarker signature of the cancer has been attained. This information can provide invaluable and impartial guidance for clients and their medical teams towards the identification of the most appropriate treatments using precision oncology principles.1.  

    • Review of the patient’s medical and molecular / pathology records to assess for gaps in diagnostic work-up, specifically for oncogenomic profiling.

    • Recommend labs/vendors and specific sequencing panels and technologies for appropriate testing for the specific tumour type. (Includes liaising with labs/ vendors on your behalf, if needed).

    • Assess molecular profiling report(s) generated and identify actionable biomarkers (genomic alterations) and their clinical relevance.

    • Provide navigation support and counsel on (follow-up) questions to ask medical team.

    • Navexio offers other services that would not be included in these core services.

  • Navexio wants to help every cancer patient ensure that no stone is left unturned to find the most appropriate cancer treatment. This is fully dependent on a comprehensive cancer diagnostic work-up to discover the root cause of the cancer at the genomic and proteomic levels. A patient’s access to comprehensive diagnostics is dependent on where they live, the testing infrastructure available at their treatment centre, the type and stage of cancer, and/or reimbursement pathways. Precision oncology is a rapidly growing discipline and not all clinicians or patients may be aware of every possible molecular diagnostic test available for their specific cancer type. As a result, most patients do not receive the most current and up-to-date molecular testing available for their cancers, putting them at a disadvantage to the effective management of their cancers.

  • Navexio can work with you and your oncologist to identify treatments appropriate for you that are approved in your country, treatments that are approved but are prescribed off-label, and/or treatments that are experimental and not yet approved by health authorities. Navexio can also help you navigate the process to access drugs that may only be provided to patients under special access or compassionate programs direct from pharmaceutical companies.

  • No, it is critical that Navexio has no partnerships or business connections with any laboratory (public or private) or any vendor. This ensures complete impartiality of Navexio’s consulting and recommendations. Each patient’s cancer is unique and so Navexio’s value lies in the promise of recommending the most appropriate diagnostic tests and vendors for your cancer. This is based on a number of factors that Navexio assesses. However, it is important to note that as technology advances, Navexio is constantly assessing and updating the labs and tests that it recommends. Navexio maintains a global network of personnel contacts at those labs to ensure we are able to access the latest information and have unique questions answered in a timely manner. This allows Navexio to offer the best options and services to support patients with the labs and vendors that it works with.

  • Navexio consultants are trained biomedical scientists and geneticists with doctorates and post-doctorates that have expertise in molecular oncology, molecular pathology, and molecular diagnostics, along with an intimate understanding of how healthcare systems and pharmaceutical industries operate.

  • Yes, while not included in our core service offering, based on your clinical profile and your mobility/ travel flexibility, Navexio can perform a global search and work with you and your healthcare team to find the best clinical trial for you. Clinicians may often only be familiar with trials within their institution or city, but Navexio will work with you to identify which trials you may be eligible for and can provide you with ongoing monitoring for new trials. Given that trial navigation often needs to be done with urgency, Navexio can also help you explore strategies that will make the selection process and eligibility matching more efficient.

If you have other diagnostic navigation or cancer support questions for Navexio that are not answered above or require additional information, please reach-out here.