Oncotype test
So I was diagnosed 6 years ago.. it was stage 1 grade 1 IDC no lymph node involvement.. my doctors did not give me an oncotype test.. I had a lumpectomy radiation and an aromatase inhibitor for 5 years.. is there any reason that they don't give that test?.. I wouldn't mind knowing what my recurrence risk is I don't understand why they didn't give it to me... Should I ask for it now?
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The oncotype dx is only used when chemo is being considered to help decide whether the benefits outweigh the SEs. Because of your tumor characteristics chemo was probably not on the table. Since chemo is done before radiation your health insurance most likely would not pay for the test now.
Insurance providers often have their own specific criteria that must be satisfied before they will cover the cost. Anthem would cover any HR+/HER2- tumor between 1 and 5 cm, a tumor .6 - 1 cm grade 2 or 3, or a tumor .6 to 1 cm grade 1 with LVI or nuclear grade 3.
The test does include a 9 year recurrence risk when taking AIs as an additional piece of information. You could pay for the test yourself if you wanted to know but the cost is around $4,000.
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Ok..I didn't realize this .mine was 1.2 cm ..or 11.mm.. first it said 9 mm then after surgery it was 11 mm.. but they still didn't offer it to me...
4k..wow.. are there any tests one could take at this point to determine recurrence or met chances? I know they have the online versions which I've done but I didn't know if there was anything more substantial
Thanks Maggie..you are always so helpful..
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The Breast Cancer Index test is a genomic test that predicts how likely a recurrence is from 5 to 10 years after diagnosis and how likely another 5 years of endocrine therapy would be beneficial. It is generally done after completing 4 or 5 years of endocrine therapy. You might ask your doctor about that.
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Mine was Stage IA, ER/PR+/HER2-, grade 2, 1.3 cm. It was explained to me (back in 2015) that OncotypeDX is done only when the tumor is in a "gray area"—had mine been grade 1 &/or under 1 cm there was no doubt that chemo would have been unnecessary and not even would have worked; and had it been Grade 3, PR-, Stage II & >2cm then it would have been considered sufficiently aggressive to warrant chemo. Mine was definitely in the "gray area;" and to my relief my score was low enough that I was advised to skip chemo. Knock wood, almost 10 years out.
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