Signatera Test. Is it truly helpful and worthwhile?

Posted by pbnew @pbnew, Nov 30, 2023

I haven’t met anyone who has used this test. Do oncologists recommend it? How does it help?

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I am currently waiting on the test results. I’ve had a recurrence of triple negative breast cancer and had surgery and radiation so far. If no cancer cells are seen, we will be able to hold off on chemo. I don’t have a stomach due to gastric cancer so the chemo typically used for t.n. will be tough on my body. This test will be a good indicator as to what my next step should be.

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@jaf123

My question as well. If positive, will the provider act on it if scans are negative? Is this reliable enough to change therapy?

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Lots of research going into this question.

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My Humana insurance denied the charges for Signatera, however, Natera, the company that makes Signatera, stated to me that they will make every attempt to collect from insurance. Since Signatera is new, it is not on the list of approved tests with Humana. They also said if insurance still denies that patients are not expected to pay charges. Sounds like they are going to take care of it somehow. Ill try to remember to post when I find out more. Whether the test is beneficial or not is yet to be seen, but I figure why not go ahead and gather some information during the process.

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@ghnstuff22

My Humana insurance denied the charges for Signatera, however, Natera, the company that makes Signatera, stated to me that they will make every attempt to collect from insurance. Since Signatera is new, it is not on the list of approved tests with Humana. They also said if insurance still denies that patients are not expected to pay charges. Sounds like they are going to take care of it somehow. Ill try to remember to post when I find out more. Whether the test is beneficial or not is yet to be seen, but I figure why not go ahead and gather some information during the process.

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Thank you! Information is hard to come by.

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I still don't understand the purpose of the test. I understand it will tell if any cancer cells are running around, but if we don't know where, what is the difference? It would seem to be very upsetting to wait for the cancer to become more apparent. We could have just waited.

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The way I understood it (and I may be incorrect) was that the test checks for circulating damaged DNA specific to tumor biology. So, if it is checking for damaged cells from my ER+PR+HER2- tumor, I am thinking it would not recognize DNA from a new tumor with different biology. Does anyone know if that is correct? I am having these test every three to four months. So far everything has been negative.

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@ghnstuff22

The way I understood it (and I may be incorrect) was that the test checks for circulating damaged DNA specific to tumor biology. So, if it is checking for damaged cells from my ER+PR+HER2- tumor, I am thinking it would not recognize DNA from a new tumor with different biology. Does anyone know if that is correct? I am having these test every three to four months. So far everything has been negative.

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I really don't know much about it but have read enough to know that I would like to have these blood tests done myself. Does insurance cover this?

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@ghnstuff22

The way I understood it (and I may be incorrect) was that the test checks for circulating damaged DNA specific to tumor biology. So, if it is checking for damaged cells from my ER+PR+HER2- tumor, I am thinking it would not recognize DNA from a new tumor with different biology. Does anyone know if that is correct? I am having these test every three to four months. So far everything has been negative.

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That is correct. The test is focused on the analysis of the DNA of the actual tumor tissue they received

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@clynnford

I really don't know much about it but have read enough to know that I would like to have these blood tests done myself. Does insurance cover this?

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Medicare does for many categories. The company doesn’t seem to charge YET if your insurance doesn’t pay you can also deny charge… it’s kinda weird but it’s all about start ups and FDA approval

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@joanneg

I am currently waiting on the test results. I’ve had a recurrence of triple negative breast cancer and had surgery and radiation so far. If no cancer cells are seen, we will be able to hold off on chemo. I don’t have a stomach due to gastric cancer so the chemo typically used for t.n. will be tough on my body. This test will be a good indicator as to what my next step should be.

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Welcome, Joanne. I can see where this test would be very helpful in determining treatment options for you. When will get the test results?

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