Frequently asked questions

Patients

Precision oncology means using detailed information about a specific tumour — its pathology, its molecular characteristics, how it has behaved so far — together with the clinical picture and the scientific evidence, to inform decisions about that particular case.

It is not a separate kind of treatment. It is a way of deciding which of the available approaches best fits the biology in front of you, and of being explicit about how strong the evidence is for each.

Patients

A molecular tumour board is a meeting in which clinicians, pathologists, scientists and other specialists review a case together with the molecular findings at the centre of the discussion.

The purpose is to bring several kinds of expertise to the same set of results, and to produce a structured summary that records both what was concluded and what remains uncertain.

Patients

Yes. Molecular report review is one of the services offered. This covers the full variant list, including variants of uncertain significance, what the assay was and was not designed to detect, and how strong the evidence is for each finding that appears relevant.

The output is an interpretation and a set of questions to take to your treating team — not a treatment prescription.

Patients

Circulating tumour DNA is tumour-derived DNA that can be detected in a blood sample. Because it can be sampled repeatedly without a biopsy, it is useful for tracking molecular change over time.

It has real limitations. Tumours shed DNA at very different rates, so a negative result does not reliably exclude disease, and interpretation depends heavily on the sensitivity of the specific assay used.

Patients

Measurable — or minimal — residual disease refers to small amounts of cancer that remain after treatment and are below the level that scans or standard tests can detect.

It is well established in several haematological cancers, where it is a routine part of monitoring. In solid tumours it is an active research area, and its role differs considerably between diseases.

Patients

That depends on your cancer type, your age at diagnosis, and your family history. In some cancers germline testing is widely discussed regardless of family history; in others it is considered only where specific features are present.

Germline testing has implications beyond you, because a germline finding may be relevant to your relatives. That is one reason it is usually discussed alongside genetic counselling rather than in isolation.

Patients

Yes. A cancer second opinion here means an independent structured re-reading of the clinical, pathological and molecular record.

It is intended to clarify what the record shows and what questions it leaves open. It does not tell you to accept or decline any treatment — that decision remains yours and your treating team’s.

Patients

Trial matching involves identifying trials whose scientific rationale and eligibility criteria plausibly fit your molecular profile, disease status and treatment history.

Two limits are worth being clear about: eligibility is determined solely by the trial investigators, and identifying a trial is not the same as securing a place on it.

Patients

The most useful set is: pathology and biopsy reports, immunohistochemistry results, imaging reports, any molecular or next-generation sequencing reports, treatment history including drugs and dates, discharge summaries, and your current medication list.

An interactive checklist is available on the document checklist page. If some items are missing, that is worth knowing at the outset rather than discovering later.

Patients

No, and it is not intended to. These are analytical and advisory services that support the decisions you make with your treating team.

Nothing here involves prescribing treatment, administering therapy, or taking over your clinical care. Your treating oncologist remains responsible for your treatment.

Patients

Yes. Remote review is possible where documentation can be shared securely and a virtual consultation can be arranged. Details are set out on the international patients page.

One constraint should be stated plainly: a remote review is an analytical and advisory service. It does not constitute medical practice or licensure in your country, and your treatment continues to be directed by your local treating team.

Patients

The enquiry forms on this website do not transmit data to any server. They compose a message in your own email application, which you review and send yourself. Nothing you type is collected by this website.

No analytics or tracking services run on this site, so no form content or document information is shared with third parties. The privacy policy sets this out in full.

Clinicians

The referral page provides a structured form covering the clinical question, disease characteristics, available investigations and urgency.

Please use patient initials or a local reference number rather than full identifying details at the referral stage. Identifiable documentation is exchanged separately once the referral is accepted.

Clinicians

Cases where molecular or computational input would materially change the discussion: rare tumours, complex or apparently contradictory molecular profiles, treatment resistance, multiple actionable findings requiring prioritisation, variants of uncertain significance, cancer of unknown primary, ctDNA and residual disease questions, hereditary risk questions, and trial selection.

Cases requiring urgent clinical management are not appropriate for this route and should follow your local acute pathways.

Clinicians

Yes. Molecular report interpretation is a core service, covering variant-level interpretation with explicit evidence tiers, assessment of assay coverage and limitations, and identification of findings whose reported significance may not be well supported.

Clinicians

Remote molecular tumour board participation is offered, including for institutions without an established board of their own. Arrangements are set out on the hospital partnerships page.

Clinicians

Yes. Institutional arrangements can cover referral pathways, tele-molecular tumour board provision, molecular decision support, standard operating procedure development and research collaboration.

KPCIRC is a distinct institutional entity from Dr. Kwatra’s individual professional practice, and partnership discussions should be clear about which is being engaged.

Clinicians

Yes. Remote review is the normal mode of working for referred cases: documentation is reviewed, analysis is prepared, and the discussion takes place virtually with the referring clinician.

The output is a structured analysis supporting your decision-making. Clinical responsibility for the patient remains with you.

Clinicians

Turnaround depends on case complexity and on whether the documentation is complete at the point of referral. Incomplete records are the most common cause of delay.

Indicate urgency on the referral form and it will be taken into account. Please do not route time-critical clinical decisions through this pathway.

Industry

Four broad models: scientific and clinical advisory; joint and translational research; clinical work including trial feasibility, biomarker strategy and molecular tumour boards; and technology work spanning AI, natural language processing, molecular interpretation and decision support.

The industry services page sets out fourteen specific engagement areas.

Industry

Yes — across discovery analysis, validation design and the transition towards clinical qualification.

The recurring failure in biomarker work is a candidate that separates groups in a discovery cohort and does not reproduce elsewhere. Guarding against that is largely a matter of analytical design, which is where this input is most useful.

Industry

Yes, in areas including feasibility assessment, molecular patient-identification strategy, biomarker definition and eligibility logic.

Molecularly-defined eligibility criteria frequently look reasonable on paper and prove unrecruitable in practice; assessing that early is generally cheaper than discovering it later.

Industry

Yes. Typical work covers problem definition, endpoint selection, evaluation design, calibration and uncertainty handling, and how a model output is actually integrated into clinical workflow.

The most common issue encountered is a system optimised for a benchmark metric that no clinical decision depends on.

Industry

Yes. Translational work — moving a molecular or computational finding towards clinical evaluation — is a core area, spanning study design, analytical planning and interpretation.

Industry

Structures range from time-bounded advisory engagements to project-based analytical work and continuing scientific partnership.

Whichever form applies, intellectual property, publication rights, data governance and authorship are agreed in writing before work begins rather than negotiated afterwards.

Industry

They are deliberately distinct. Dr. Bharat Kwatra is the personal scientific and professional identity. KPCIRC is the clinical and institutional ecosystem. OnKommon is the technology, AI and computational intelligence ecosystem.

Engagements are entered into with the appropriate entity, and this separation is maintained rather than blurred.