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6 Month Genetic Testing in America?

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This is new; recently had my three month appointment with the doctor and he told me that they do not have any BCR/ABL tests for me as they now do them every six months to save costs.  Save costs for whom?  I am paying more for my insurance this year than last year so it certainly isn't saving me anything.  Save costs for the insurance industry, improving their bottom line at a potential risk to my health?  Sure does sound like it to me.  

I have been stable at CMR (last test 0.006%) so I am not that concerned.  Just wondering if anyone else has been forced into 6 month testing cycles? 

 

I have Anthem/Blue Cross and Blue Shield for insurance and work for a Fortune 250 so we don't have cheap insurance.

six month testing is routine for patients who have demonstrated stable disease below 0.01%. Once I achieved PCRU and held it for one year, I was also switched to six month cycles.

CML in chronic phase below 0.1% is a VERY slow disease. It will take a year or more for it to expand sufficiently. Six month cycles will more than catch it should it start to expand again. If you decided to stop your TKI to test remission, your doctor would have you test once a month.

I have been at <.003% for nearly 2 years now.  Approximately 1 year ago, my doc switched me to testing every 6 months

I too will be switched to 6 month cycle if my blood work is where there expect it to be and I am in MR4.  She also said I could be anywhere I wanted to live and they would mail me a blood kit and I would mail it back to them for testing.

 

Steff

I am not stable yet I was at 27% the last time I was tested and the last test that McLaren Karmanos Flint did on me the lab they used messed my test up so I don't know what I'm at and my doctor keeps on talking around me and ignoring my request to take another test. I asked him how is it my fault your lab screwed up. Also I'm still in bad bone and joint pain and my ribs are killing me . Guess what he said " He  said CML doesn't cause the pain I'm having and he doesn't know what to tell me" Those were his exact words . I think i need to switch cancer doctors because I've never seen someone so blatantly ignorant and rude as my Oncologist. The side effects from CML and Gleevec both say bone pain and joint pain but he says it has to be something else and he wants to send me over to a general doctor so that this general Doctor can figure out whats wrong with me ? Has anyone ever heard of this before ?