Has Anyone Had TEMPUS Blood Testing Done?
I’ve been stable on Xeloda since 2020. Recent ct/bone scans show a couple enlarged paratracheal (neck area) lymph nodes (everything else appears stable). Today I had a PET scan ordered by my onc to further investigate what might be going on. When I was at the onc last week, I also had blood drawn for TEMPUS xF testing. Has anyone else had this? The NP was in for the oncologist, and she gave me a short run down on it, saying it can help determine the next best treatment if it’s determined by the PET that there is progression. I have a follow up appt with the onc herself on Monday. I’m asking for insight anyone might have on this. I could also use a little reassurance.
*Here’s a description of the blood test I found on the TEMPUS website:
Tempus xF is a 105 gene liquid biopsy circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) seq panel that detects oncogenic drivers and resistance mutations, and identifies single nucleotide variants (SNVs), insertions and deletions (INDELs), copy number gains (CNGs) and gene rearrangements, all of which help inform precision medicine decisions.
Tempus xF+ is an expanded liquid biopsy panel consisting of 523 genes that detects pathogenic alterations in ctDNA and identifies SNVs, INDELs, CNGs and gene rearrangements
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Yes, I had this Tempus test. I also have one called Signaterra which is new, looks for circulating tumor DNA.
My onc said these tests could help decide best individualized treatments.
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Hi Divine, I had the Tempus test done early on. I think it was useful. It showed an "activating" PIK3ca mutation and a CHEK2 gene. I then had genetic counseling since the CHEK2 is heritable. It turns out that my family version of the gene is not that dangerous, but it was still good to know. I had other genes listed too that were not "actionable," but perhaps may be relevant in the future? I did have a very small problem in that my insurance refused to pay for it, but I never received a bill from TEMPUS, and I think they won't charge any more than $100. But you may want to make sure you're covered.
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I’ve had Tempus blood and tissue testing. It takes weeks to come back, but results and the report they give patients is extremely thorough. One of the panels in the tissue test shows if you would have a benefit from immunotherapy. If you have any actionable mutations, they indicate current treatments or trials available. The caveat is that there needs to be enough dna in the sample for it to be accurate. My blood sample didn’t detect the mutation I had, though I had a large brain met and four lymph nodes, and it said on the report that there was reduced sensitivity due to low dna input. The test saved my life because my onc was going to treat me for s4 triple negative breast cancer because of ISH results, but tempus determined it was lung cancer caused by a mutation, requiring a very different treatment. They’re an incredible company, and I hope more oncologists run next generation gene testing on patients with breast cancer progression. Hopefully your test will provide good info for your care team!
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Thanks, ladies, for your comments. I appreciate the additional insights. This kind of targeted testing was not available when I was initially diagnosed from the start with mbc. I’m grateful to still be around to hopefully benefit from it.
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