Genomic Prostate tracking ID blood test?

[depotdoug]

Anybody know of Genomic Prostate blood or tissue testing methods? It’s new or newer type testing of Genetic PCa markers tracking finding .

Where do I look for information?

Dou

[Tall_Allen]

There are several, including Foundation One, Claris and some others are tumor tests, while Guardant360 is a blood test. All are expensive - check with your insurance first. IHC analysis can also tell you a lot.

[mklc in reply to Tall_Allen]

Sorry to ask but what is IHC?

[Tall_Allen in reply to mklc]

Sorry - I get used to using the abbreviations when I talk to doctors. IHC=ImmunoHistoChemistry. It is the analysis pathologists do when they biopsy the tissue from a tumor. It means they stain the slides with certain very specific antibodies. So, for example, they stain the cells they extracted from a tumor with a PSMA antibody to see if the cell expresses PSMA. IHC can tell you if it was of prostatic origin, if it is neuroendocrine, if it has an androgen receptor, if it produces PSA, etc. It is called "proteomic" (it finds the proteins the tumor expresses) rather than "genomic" (which would find active genes and aberrations in them).

[depotdoug in reply to Tall_Allen]

Guardant 360 blood test is maybe or probably is the next up investigative diagnostic for me.

1st Up ::: 1. aggressive attack of my PCa in my whole body. Dr Adra says I start w/ standard bicalutamide again next 30 days.

2. Sept 10 th The return of Lupron Depot again. 3 month stick it in me, I think.

3. Good great news is:: my next TBD(done) PSMA PET/CT 4-5 months out. ~ Dec Christmas time.

Honestly my new Med/Onc is hitting me realistically aggressive Prepping for next PSMA. But he’d hit on using “advanced treatment” clinical targeted drug trials. I’ll have more info/details when I get my clinical visit summary this week. Time to look up Guardant360 testing info tomorrow.

I’d never ever would have had this much “care treatment path forward” Action with my old Urologist & Old MO in FW(Ft Wayne).

Doug

[Tall_Allen in reply to depotdoug]

Guardant360 is a blood test that looks at the cell-free DNA (the DNA that used to be locked inside cancer cells), and tells you what kind of DNA it is and what the aberrations are. The only downside (or it may be an upside), is it doesn't distinguish between germline and somatic mutations.It is very expensive (around $4000), so make sure you get pre-authorization for it.

[Mohopes in reply to Tall_Allen]

Sorry to report, Allen, but we JUST sent it in and it was somewhere around $6800. OUCH!

[Tall_Allen in reply to Mohopes]

Yikes! Did insurance cover it?

[Mohopes in reply to Tall_Allen]

Not to my knowledge. It hasn't covered anything but SOC so far and, of course, it appears more and more that the insurance companies decide what is SOC.

[Tall_Allen in reply to Mohopes]

OMG! I hope it gives you something actionable.

[depotdoug in reply to Tall_Allen]

Guardant360 does not distinguish between GERMLINE or somatic ok. Mine was GERMLINE my MO says. My Guardant360 cost was posted @$8,250 charged. Just got & read my completed Insurance claim procedure code #81749. Insurance paid $394.54 Medicare/Insurance approved. My co-Insurance $0. What a load off of my belly, albeit the Guardant360 did not find any ctDNA genomic mutations identified. So test failed or I failed.

[Tall_Allen in reply to depotdoug]

There are very few actionable mutations, and they are rare. Another way of looking at it is that you don't have any of the mutations that make PC more lethal.

[depotdoug in reply to Tall_Allen]

Shouldn't my Med Onc have communicated this to me or thru his RN yet. Or is it lets first re-attack my Advanced Prostate cancer with Lupron, then my next PSA& T-Levels in 2 weeks? Yeh, 2 weeks till my PSA drops hopefully and T-Levels drop hopefully.

I'm perplexed with a lot of maybe's or waiting for Lab Tests.

I was so much anticipating Guardant360 to find the magic ctDNA evidence that its a Big let down.

Like I said, should not have my MO communicated this to me when test results arrived?

Tall_Allen - I've definitely not at the crisis white flag waving point. Guess I'm expecting rapid fast response results and answers. It's not happening.

So far no side effects of Lupron D#1 inject. That I should be grateful for, I think. Miracles are not fast action in our cancer journeys' I'd better get used to that.

To call my Med Oncologist Monday or not?

Depotdoug

[Christopherg in reply to Tall_Allen]

Allen you’re a godsend to us

[depotdoug in reply to Tall_Allen]

Ok. Several Genomic cancer tracking tumor methods. My new super med oncologist just briefly mentioned this yesterday afternoon. Thought he said it was or could be part of a Clinical Research study. Incidentally is what my group of Medical Oncologists are involved in vigorously. Guess it’s time for my sanity purposes, to message my new treatment team tonight and really ask him(Dr Adra) what it is.