pre chemo test

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pre chemo test

by Leahc on Fri May 29, 2009 12:00 AM

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I have recently heard there is a test you can have to determine if chemo would actually have any effect on you as a treatment. Anyone else heard of this and if so do you know what its called?

Thanks

RE: pre chemo test

by sassyleo on Sat May 30, 2009 12:00 AM

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Yes.  It is called the Onco Type DX Test.  The cost is $3,000 but insurance often covers it.  The company checks with your insurance company and will discuss it with you before they do the test.  If a family earns less than $70,000 a year, they give a big discount if insurance doesn't cover it. It is used for early stage breast cancer which is node negative. They send a sample of your tumor to a lab in California.  They use the sample to check the how receptive it is to estrogen, progesterone, and Her2.  They rate the chances of cancer returning in 10 years.  The rating is either low, intermediate, or high.  They specify that even a high rating does not mean it will definately return.  They also say that if it returns it does not necessarily change the prognosis.  Those who have a low rating will not benefit significantly from chemo and it is not generally used on them.  Those like myself who are intermediate have a decision to make because there isn't a clear cut decision.  In my case, the likelyhood or my cancer returning in 10 years is 15%.  Chemo would reduce that by 3%.  I decided not to have the chemo.  I am 58 years old and at my age I was concerned that I would have more trouble than a younger woman would at recovering from chemo with not much return.  I have made lifestyle changes which I hope will impove my results as much as chemo but who knows.

I strongly recommend this test if you are early Stage 1 or 2 and are node negative.  My surgeon ordered it for me so I recommend you start there.

Good luck.

Roseann

RE: pre chemo test

by Leahc on Sat May 30, 2009 12:00 AM

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Thanks Roseann

I am from australia and heard of this test. My wife passed away a few years ago and we had to go to US a number of times for treatments not available here so am trying to rectify things for others in australia.

We put ourselves out there as front runners but we are so far behind and need to know more options available in the fight against cancer

thanks for your reply

ash

RE: pre chemo test

by Gal49 on Sat Jun 06, 2009 12:00 AM

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One I came across from Canada is called "chemo-fit". Yes, Australia is way behind this and the suck it and see approach wastes valuable time as well as being debilitating for those people who have to try a number of different ones before they hit on one that works (if it's not too late to get through them all - as your own experience tells).

I would support any initiative to make these tests more readily available to oncologists in Australia and can't understand why they are not. Would also save the PBS for drugs used unnecessarily because a pre-test in a lab would clearly determine which drug would be the best to use for a particular cancer.

Good luck with your good cause.

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