They have announced expanded access to the PET scan until the FDA approves it, hopefully by this summer. The PET scan is available to all patients with diagnosed prostate cancer. The prices differ slightly according to the patient's current situation. The current wait time for appointments is 2-3 weeks.
My 2nd opinion Dr worked at UCLA and told me I could get one about $1000 cheaper than that out of pocket back on October 2019. I never did follow through as none of my doctors thought it was worth it out of pocket as it would not change my treatment. My local imaging place quoted me $6500.00 Maybe insurance will pay for it when it comes up again.
Had it one year ago for $2,600. If I'd done it this year, looks like I would have been in the high-risk category (t3b) and paid $2,977. Maybe this option uses more tracer, and thus costs more.
Australia has had free access to Psa Ga68 PET + CT scans since 2015, at a price of usd $434,
based on aud $1.00 worth only usd $0.62. I have no idea why such differences exist between national currencies, probably to prop up the uber rich at Wall Street.
There is no Medicare rebate here yet for this scan, but I can see just how sick the medical system in USA is where an essential and useful type of scan costs usd $2,977. I've had about 6 Psma Ga68 scans so far, and they have been very good in showing my Pca status, results of treatments and thus removes the guesswork by doctors.
But I may have been reluctant to pay usd $17,862 for those 6 scans.
If these scans are so expensive I can only wonder what the costs are for other treatments compared to Australian cost. I've often said an option for men where chemo has failed is Lu177, yet to be approved in USA, but when it is approved, my guess is that it will be horrendously expensive in USA. Lu177 costs usd $5,952.00 for each infusion, and usually 4 are needed.
Will Americans be charged usd $40,000 for each infusion?
Its no wonder than that some Pca patients are flying to Australia to get treated by Theranostics Australia in Perth or Sydney.
Some Pca patients have also flown to Germany for Lu177, where the treatment was invented, and I don't know how their costs compare with ours.
However, international flights are shut down by C19 and there would now be no access to LU177 for many in USA because FDA is so slow approving new treatments, one reason being that they don't want doctors to suffer financially giving existing treatments which fail more than Lu177.
I'm glad I live in Australia and not in US just for the medical care structure we have.
Time I went for a nice long cycle ride across town for lunch and a coffee. Its a nice autumn day here, and I hope you all are not too badly affected by C19.
It seems I have little to fear if I go for a long cycle alone, like I have been doing for many years.
This is wonderful news! Ed didn't do the 68 Ga, but I did price it at UCLA @ $2600 as a trial in late 2018. I found the F-18 DCFPyL at Stanford, last patient of Phase II trial, for no charge to the patient, so elected to do that one (DCFPyL did find the reoccurrence). Previously had done Axumin, C-11 acetate (trial in Phoenix @ $3,000 out of pocket), and later, the C-11 choline at Mayo Rochester. Another tool without the exclusions of the trials or the cost of the C-11 choline is so exciting.
He did them all! DCFPyL is the best, followed by Ga-68-PSMA-11. They both completed their initial trials at around the same time, so I expect the FDA will approve both at the same time. Axumin comes in third and Blue Earth Diagnostics has started trials of a new F18 rhPSMA PET indicator that they hope will outperform DCFPyL. There are also early trials of other PSMA indicators like Ga-68-PSMA-R2 and F18-PSMA-1007. This is a very active field, and the competition is good for the patient. The C-11 PETs (choline and acetate) are an "also ran," and Mayo seems to be really pushing it to recoup their investment.
Any thoughts on which PSMA diagnostic PET ligand will be the easiest for community RT departments to adapt? I understand there are potentially commercially available Ge-68 "generators" to generate isotope from Ga-68 without needing an in community cyclotron, etc. for short half-life isotopes. Such considerations may affect availability, once approved, to community hospitals.
I know this is an older post but can anyone link the information for the PSMA scan that was free for veterans? I think it was UCLA and gave the necessary form as well.
This sounds great but after investing time and waiting for phone calls to be returned, I was told this scan is not available to all veterans. You have to be in the VA already with a medical disability. My husband is a veteran but only receives hearing aid care from the VA based on hearing disability. Lately even that care has been terrible as they keep cancelling appointments due to Covid 19.
The other option they mentioned is to apply for a military disability for prostate cancer through the VA--like with agent orange exposure. He did not have agent orange exposure. Also I remember how long it took to get approval for the hearing aid VA coverage-- months. The PSMA scan will probably be approved for insurance coverage before that.
I admit that the LA VA seemed slightly more knowledgable in general then the one in Atlanta. With all the bragging about how much the VA has improved, I haven't experienced that yet.
Just telling others so you don't waste your time.
Call the business office at 310-478-3711 extension 48629 and try to get Robin to help as she is supposedly the best one.
We were at Emory last week to see about a PSMA trial scan. One disqualification was if you were receiving ADT. I had called the company to ask specifically about orchiectomy but didn’t hear back in time. The doctor called Blue Earth and they said orchiectomy was also a disqualification.
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