cost involved

[Celina]

Hi everyone,
Can someone give me an idea of what costs we may be looking at for a clinical trial. We live in Canada and are going to the U.S. for the trial.
Celina

[Esther]

If you are accepted for a clinical trial in the US, any treatment called for by the clinical trial is provided free of charge.

You would still be responsible for any on-going care that was not part of the trial. You would obviously pay for your own travel expenses as well.

[Lolly]

Celina, as Esther states, the cost of the treatment and any related tests to monitor the effectivness of the treatment are covered by the trial sponsers. But, any tests or scans your sister may need to determine if she qualifies for the trial are usually the responsibility of the patient. If her doctor in Canada is cooperative, the necessary scans/tests can be ordered by her onc there as part of her ongoing care, and copies of the results sent to the trial people. In qualifying for the UW/Seattle trial, my onc and his nurse talked directly with the UW people to coordinate the appropriate scans and paperwork. Good luck!

<3,
Lolly

[Celina]

Thanks Esther and Lolly.
My sister's onc. has sent all necessary pathology reports and current scans to Boston....Monday is her appointment...we're holding our breath!!

[Esther]

Good luck Celina! If your sister has an appointment, then she has a good chance of getting into the trial.

They pre-screen you ahead of time before giving you an appointment.

[carol]

Hi - I am in the herceptin/avastin trial at UCLA and the herceptin is not covered, the FISH test was not covered, the whole body mri scans which are every 2 months are not covered and echocardigrams which are every 3 months are also not covered. I may have left something out. Luckily my expatriate Dutch health insurance covers it all. The harsh reality (I have been told) is if you were ininsured and could not afford to pay for all the tests out of pocket, you would be excluded from the trial. I believe Genentech has a program if you cannot afford Herceptin. I hope you find a trial where everything is funded. Dr. Pegram's trial is only partially funded by UCLA and the Dept. of Defense. Good luck. Regards, Carol