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Old 10-04-2009, 11:52 AM   #1
suzan w
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Location: Naples FL
Posts: 1,744
Re: blood test that detects cancer?

WHY are all these tests SO expensive??? I just got the co-pay for the BRCA 1 and 2...which is more $$ than I can spend right now (as cancer has made me broke!), but the good news was my insurance co. picked up 80% of the cost for that test (which was close to $4000.00). And the test was positive, leading me to more treatment that I never thought I would need...and the bills for that have yet to start coming in. And now this test...
Bottom line is that ALL these tests...BRCA, CTC, Oncotype etc. etc...are outrageously expensive, many not covered by insurance...and have huge impacts on the types of treatments we choose. And the types of treatments that we choose have huge impacts on our survival and quality of life...I know I am preaching to the choir but sometimes it makes me so mad I could just SCREEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMM!!! xo Suzan
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Suzan W.
age 54 at diagnosis
5/05 suspicious mammogram-left breast
5/05 biopsy-invasive lobular carcinoma with LCIS,8mm tumor,stage 1 grade 2, ER+ PR+ Her2+++
6/14/05 bilateral mastectomy, node neg. all scans neg.
Oncotype DX-high risk
8/05-10/05 4 rounds A/C
10/05 -10/06 1 yr. herceptin
arimidex-5 years
2/14/08 started daily self administered injections..FORTEO for severe osteoporosis
7/28/09 BRCA 1 negative BRCA2 POSITIVE
8/17/09 prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy
10/15/10 last FORTEOinjection
RECLAST infusion(ostoeporosis)
6/14/10 5 year cancerversary!
8/2010-18%increase in bone density!
no further treatments
Oncologist says, "Go do the Happy Dance"
I say,"What a long strange trip its been"
'One day at a time'
6-14-2015. 10 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!
7-16 to 9-16. Extensive (and expensive) dental work done to save teeth. Damage from osteoporosis and chemo and long term bisphosphonate use
6-14-16. 11 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!!
7-20-16 Prolia injection for severe osteoporosis
2 days later, massive hive outbreak. This led to an eventual dx of Chronic Ideopathic Urticaria, an auto-immune disease from HELL.
6-14-17 12 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!!
still suffering from CIU. 4 hospitilizations in the past year

as of today, 10-31-17 in remission from CIU and still, CANCER FREE!!!
6-14-18 13 YEAR CANCERVERSARY!! NED!!
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Old 10-04-2009, 12:15 PM   #2
SuzEQ
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 7
Re: blood test that detects cancer?

My understanding of testing for CTCs is that it is not as expensive or risky for the patient as traditional types of surveillance such as CT and PET. There is no radiation, no dye, no machines for patients to sit in (MRI), simply drawing blood. Even better, this test can be used to detect response to a new chemo in Stage IV patients within appr. 3 weeks of starting therapy. If the CTCs go down with a new treatment, great since the therapy is working, if up, change treatments. Quick, easy for the patient, and non-invasive. I'm curious if they can use this on an annual basis to be sure that those with NED are truly NED and if not, can then provide a workup. This seems a little better than tumor markers but maybe not as routinely accepted at this point or perhaps it is simply not accurate in this group. If anyone has discussed this with their oncologists, I would be interested to see what they say.
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