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CA19-9 Test: How often to test?
Pancreatic Cancer | Last Active: Nov 23, 2023 | Replies (7)Comment receiving replies
I can't speak to the pricey part due to the way my insurance works. @markymarkfl has always said that he independently found a lab that would do the draw and process the test for a very reasonable out-of-pocket fee (I think $25). Whatever you wind up doing, be sure to have the test processed at the same lab each time. The results apparently can vary if the processing facility changes. Re the reliability of the test, you're right--the CA 19-9 isn't the ultimate authority. In particular, it's a lousy diagnostic tool. However, it can be a good tool to track treatment progress and disease status.
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@cpmcb , I went to mdsave.com, entered a zip code for Orlando (Central) Florida along with the CPT code (86301) for CA19-9, and got the following result:
https://www.mdsave.com/f/procedure/immunoassay-tumor-ca-19-9/AQABAKUAtlUNAzuIOUSDCBeUKOxbYp2Nha6rEn9C13u7Q92p2FR6JT0Zs9jOy_G4yv8hQawhU8IRMkCj5cZ8OXuZVwhPnc32FG0ApMWFf4ypG91uymbpRQJuxvjXMi8bWZmt2Nx24xaCxC35y8oFABlw5kBuy2n7aP8wkISAIErpVMkKIYXv78ub3UPsoboDYuyv8W1xv_5AdxjBEDy8a_pDchXKTFSyu4pu1rD3UGOOHmV-u8FBRmR0olrLazHSouQCT3shdwZ70Cs?q=86301&name=Immunoassay%20Tumor%20CA%2019-9&latLng=28.5988789,-81.2036885&city=Orlando&state=Florida&zip=32816
It says the Estimated National Average is $92, the MDsave regional average is $45. It returned 9 individual labs from 5 multi-site health care companies, with a price range of $32 to $64. I used one of them a couple times directly (independent of MDsave) and got a cheaper price (the $25 to $30 range).
https://www.sonoraquest.com/patient/knowledge-center/discounted-pay-at-time-of-service-rates/ was $56 (for Test Code 3698)
https://requestatest.com/cancer-antigen-ca-19-9-test $69
https://www.walkinlab.com/products/view/carbohydrate-antigen-ca-19-9-blood-test $53
https://onetestforcancer.com/buy/?step=main-product ($189 for 6 biomarkers or $269 for 12 biomarkers)
This site returns a range from $37 to $161, and indicates some states where the testing is blacklisted. https://www.findlabtest.com/lab-test/cancer-screening/ca-19-9-test-quest-4698
Some of them might take a little digging if they're only listed by CPT code or ICD-10 code or the specific lab's test number, but I think you should be able to price-shop in your area and find something affordable.