Circulating tumor cells

Denise66
Denise66 Member Posts: 73 Member
in Uterine Cancer #1

Has anyone had their circulating tumor cells measured?  If you had circulating tumor cells, what was prescribed to reduce them. 

 

 

Comments

  • MAbound
    MAbound Member Posts: 1,156 Member
    #2
    Interesting, but....

    Thanks for asking about this. I had never heard of it so went googling. It turns out that my insurance, Blue Cross, considers it investigational at this time and so does not cover it. I suspect that this is true for most other insurances and so I'd be surprised if any of us have had it. What I find concerning about this test is I wonder if it could be used to deny further treatment if it predicts a poor prognosis for metastatic cancer. 

  • derMaus
    derMaus Member Posts: 558
    #3
    I had this done through

    I had this done through Circulogene. My previous oncologist ordered it and my insurance refused to pay so I was out $500. It proviided no useful information. I asked my new oncologist about it and he said such tests aren't reliable for most cancers except certain know ones (e.g. PSA for prostate).

  • Denise66
    Denise66 Member Posts: 73 Member
    #4
    derMaus said:

    I had this done through

    I had this done through Circulogene. My previous oncologist ordered it and my insurance refused to pay so I was out $500. It proviided no useful information. I asked my new oncologist about it and he said such tests aren't reliable for most cancers except certain know ones (e.g. PSA for prostate).

    Why did it not provide useful

    Why did it not provide useful info?  

  • derMaus
    derMaus Member Posts: 558
    #5
    The entire thing was blank

    The entire thing was blank except for TP53 @ 5.8% mutation (ALL cancers have this) and EGFR @ 3.0% mutation. There were no "actionable" items and no FDA treatment recommendation, likely because treatment is based on genetic profile of the tumor, not on what is floating around in the blood.  My Foundation 1 report, done at the same time, was useful. Circulogene was not. 

  • Denise66
    Denise66 Member Posts: 73 Member
    #6
    Does insurance pay for the

    Does insurance pay for the foundation one testing?  

  • CheeseQueen57
    CheeseQueen57 Member Posts: 933
    #7
    Denise66 said:

    Does insurance pay for the

    Does insurance pay for the foundation one testing?  

    Maybe

    I‘m currently fighting with Aetna over payment of my Foundation one testing. They should be paying. Medicare pays. 

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