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Thanks, Alaska; It seems pretty spendy all right. I still have a hard time with "sticker shock" as it relates to BC care, as when I was first diagnosed I didn't have insurance. I know there are women out there (I've talked to a few) in that same leaky boat and it's no consolation to hear "insurance will cover it"...
However, if ever there was a necessary but spendy test, this is it! I'm especially cheered by this paragraph in the link you posted;
"...The 70 genes in a woman's tumor analyzed by MammaPrint® predict the *10-year survival of the patient at a significance level over three times greater than existing methods and with an accuracy level of 96.7% as determined by a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. MammaPrint® also identifies those untreated individuals who have a poor tumor signature - with a high risk for metastasis if untreated..."
*emphasis added by me*
<3 Lolly
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Sept.'99 - Dx.Stage IIIB, IDC ER/PR-, HER2+++ by IHC, confirmed '04 by FISH. Left MRM, AC x's 4, Taxol x's 4, 33 Rads, finishing Tx May 2000. Jan.'01 - local/regional recurrence, Stage IV. Herceptin/Navelbine weekly till NED August 2001, then maintenance Herceptin. Right Mast. April 2002. Local/Regional recurrence April '04, Herceptin plus/minus chemo until May '07. Gemzar added from Feb.'07-April '07; Tykerb/Abraxane until August '07, back on Herceptin plus Taxotere and Xeloda Sept. '07. Stopped T/X Nov. '07, stopped Herceptin Dec. '07, started Avastin/Taxol/Carboplatin Dec. '07. Progression in chest skin, stopped TAC March '03, started radiation.
Herceptin has served as the "Backbone" of my treatment strategy for over 6 years, giving me great quality of life. In 2005, I was privileged to participate in the University of Washington/Seattle HER2 Vaccine Trial.
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