What countries do the her 2/neu serum test?

[jhandley]

Hi all
If the her 2/neu serum test is available in your country could you please reply. It is still not available in Australia so I have two options..i) send samples to a country that does it or ii) visit a country that does it.
At this stage I plan to visit my sister in UK in Jan 07 and I know Quest diagnostic have a lab in London ..so I could probably get one done then.
But I would also like to get it done every six weeks say on a regular basis as I am fed up with CT scans and would prefer to just follow my state of health with a blood test that is designed to do just that.

Regards
Jackie

[molly]

Jackie

I too am from Australia. Do you know how much it is to send a sample overseas to have tested. Would be interested to know. Molly

[chrislmelb]

I asked my onc Jackie, and he doesn't believe it is reliable. he said lots of studies etc. I am early stage so maybe more appropriate in your situation. Does your onc give his opinion?

Christine

PS Molly where are you?

[Lani]

it is known as serum her2neu ECD (extracellular domain) it is a quantitative ELISA test

the website for Oncogene Science has the following information:
Oncogene Science is serious about quality Customer Service. We deliberately approach Customer Service in the same way that we approach the development, manufacture, and marketing of our products. Defined by quality parameters, driven by customer demand.

Customer service for our products is provided by our distributor, Dako. Contact information for Dako is as follows:

Distributed by:



In the United States, Latin America and New Zealand, please contact:

Dako North America, Inc.
6392 Via Real
Carpinteria, CA 93013
Tel. +1 805 566 6655
Fax +1 805 566 6688
Web site: www.dakousa.com
Customer Service: 1(800)235-5763
By email: customer.service.us@dako.com

In all other areas, please contact:

Dako A/S
Produktionsvej 42
DK-2600 Glostrup
Tel. +45 44 85 97 56
Fax +45 44 85 84 29
Web site: www.dako.com
E-mail: contact@dako.com

Perhaps you should inquire if their New Zealand office can tell you where/whether it is offered in Australia

Hope this helps!

[jhandley]

Hi Lani
Dako in Australia have told me it is not available here. i will check the NZ option butas it is a smaller coutry than Australia..I dont have high hopes. I periodically investigate the possibilities of getting this test done..I even have a doctor friend who has an ELISA machine that we couyld run samples on. I just need the kit to do it.

(The following was emailed to the webmaster in error)
Hi Chris
It is approved for use for metastatic disease and reliable..it predicts
recurrence 9 months before it shows on any scans. I would prefer to have a
blood test every 3 or 6 weeks rather than having scans every 3 months which
I find unpleasant and invasive. My reasoning is that if the her 2 numbers
start to go up you can treat then rather than wait 9 months until it shows
on scans. Also there are a number of other things that cause the her 2
levels to drop eg: flaxseed, omega 3 oils and olive leaf extract to name a
few backed up by scientific studies. (Also reishi mushroom extract has been
found to help monoclonal antibodies work better). So if the numbers go up
and herceptin is not working anymore you can try some of these other things
to see if they come down...or better still try them one at a time while on
herceptin and see what effect they have on the results.
Furthermore:
A recent study which reviewed 7 trials showed that women whose levels of her
2 in the blood dropped by > 20 % after the administration of herceptin had
better response, longer survival and time to progression..so it also helps
predict who will do well on herceptin.
Cheers
Jackie





Jackie