LizG Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 A person close to my immediate family is a Chemotherapy Nurse and works with some of the leading oncologists in the area where my mother is receiving treatments for Stage VI NSCLC (Adenocarcinoma). She has been a proponent of having my mom undergo Foundation One genetic testing to see if it will provide any insights to her cancer and help determine better treatment protocols. This test is expensive (around $5000) and rarely covered by health insurance, including my mom's plan, without petitioning. The doctors have said that this test should wait until they determine the success of the chemo and see whether more exploration is necessary, but by no means require it. Has anyone here had experience with Foundation One testing? I am trying to weigh its merits and learn more about the information it provides and whether it is worth the cost in helping my mom's cancer at this stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieB Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 I would definitely ask our experts about it. How is Foundation One testing any different than gene mutation test done on biopsy tissue? Right now insurance will cover the genetic testing for EGFR and ALK as well as maybe a handful of others. www.lungevity.org/asktheexperts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizG Posted December 27, 2014 Author Share Posted December 27, 2014 Thanks Katie! The Foundation One test is different because it's not specific to lung cancer and its results can be useful if standard treatment protocols are unsuccessful. It was recommended by our friend because of an acute but widely varied history of cancer in the family. Both of my mom's parents died from different forms of cancer and many of her cousins, aunts, and uncles were also afflicted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieB Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Thanks for that clarification. Not sure if it would help in your mom's lung cancer case unless they think there are other cancer histology involved with her? I have several forms of cancer in my family too and keep vigilant with my scans and check ups. I did do the BRCA test and while I tested negative for 1 and 2, I also had a gene mutation of "unknown origin." Yep, what the heck does that mean? They haven't identified that gene or what it does or doesn't do yet so I have more questions that when I started. Good luck. Let us know what you decided to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPKP06 Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 A slice of Jason's tumor was sent to Foundation One and insurance covered it without petitioning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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