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I'm back: increasing CA19-9 was accurate indicator of recurrence.
Pancreatic Cancer | Last Active: Feb 10 4:20pm | Replies (14)Comment receiving replies
I had surgery 6 months ago. I have CT every 3 months, CA19 every month, but do not have ctDNA done. That has never been mentioned. Or rather, my oncologist said it was not covered by insurance. So never discussed again. My CA19 was 12 prior to surgery, 44 upon discharge, and has since been dropping to a level of 16. My oncologist wanted CA19 every 3 months with CT, but I said I want it every month, as it has been a good indicator for me. I return to Mayo on March 18th for CT. I had a lung micronodule at 5 months that I am trying to not worry about, as none of the clinicians seem to be.
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@ashley2235 , I'm glad to hear you're getting the frequent CA19-9.
I get messages every now and then from Natera saying my ctDNA test was declared "not medically necessary" by my insurer, but my care team has always found one way or another to get it reimbursed or absorbed somewhere else in the system.
I had asked Natera about this before my Whipple, and they made it sound like the self-pay cost would not be astronomical if I had to go that route. Seems like it was about $250 each time, iirc, but I don't know if they had a (much) higher price for initial construction of the test.
I recently had another genetic test (combo of blood and tissue) with Tempus. The blood collection kit they sent to my house had forms for patient financial assistance if necessary, and I think they said the basic tests would never likely exceed $100 patient cost.
So... there may be affordable options if you contact the companies directly.
However, given that CA19-9 tests are cheaper and signaled my recurrence before ctDNA tests did, that becomes a factor in the overall value equation.