Castle Labs-high cost for diagnosis of skin cancers?

@maremo60 I opted to have Castle testing when it had been offered to me in 2020, shortly after it became commercially available and was offered at "no charge", assuring me they would neither charge me nor my insurance - the latter was not even considering such reimbursement at that time, and from what I understand now, insurance coverage currently varies (largely dependent upon clinical criteria which may be worth investigating in your case).

The testing itself is not 100% predictive but can provide a statistical likelihood of metastasis compared to other methods. The thought process is this could then provide individualized patient management decisions, including surveillance and treatment plans. That is among what some would consider a "pro" of having the testing. However, keeping in mind the results may be inconclusive or uncertain, one would need to consider if such results would yield significant impact on the direction of care.

In my particular situation, I was an outlier - meaning I fell into the statistical zone outside of what had been predicted. I need to underscore that was 5 years ago so advancements may have been made in that time. However, some key points to consider and discuss with your dermatologist or whoever is overseeing you treatment would be the following:

*How will the result influence the direction your care plan going forward?
*Bearing in mind the results are largely statistical in nature, how will the results impact your response? In other words, if the results yield low chance of recurrence, will you still be diligent about skin checks/ongoing care? Should they reveal a high chance of metastasis or recurrence, would this cause undue stress and anxiety?
*What has your provider found to be the outcome of the testing in regard to patient management and what would their unbiased recommendations be for you?

I understand the dilemma after having melanoma; I was there myself. No one can tell you how to proceed as that's a totally individual decision. Do the above considerations/questions help in arriving at that decision?