Cancer blood test at home

Marybk0601

Wanted to let everyone know of this new blood test that University of NC developed that is supposed to detect breast cancer as it develops or before it does, I believe. I think it is first of its kind and has only been out a few weeks. I know you can't post links so search for "Oncotab" or go to Indiegogo and enter "breast cancer" and you will see the kit where it is cheaper. I just ordered for myself but haven't received yet. If anyone has heard of something else like this please post. I am a TNBC 8 years and trying to find something to catch a recurrence.

Moderators

Dear Marybk0601 and others reading this post,

This is what we found on the OncoTAb website: (see below) We will ask our editorial team if they know anything more, but it appears to be a start-up, and indeed only in North Carolina. If you are interested in learning more, you may want to research on their website, and certainly talk with your treatment team.

"OncoTAb, Inc., a North Carolina based startup, was co-founded by Mayo Clinic alumna Dr. Pinku Mukherjee, with a mission to improve the quality of cancer care by addressing unmet cancer diagnostic and therapeutic needs.

The company's first product, Agkura™ Personal Score, is a simple, non-invasive blood test offered as a supplement to mammography for women with dense breast tissue. Mammograms fail to detect cancer in 50% of women with high breast tissue density*, resulting in late stage diagnosis and mortality. The Agkura™ Personal Score shows a continuous trend of increasing values from benign disease through Breast Cancer Stages 1 to 4, with statistically significant increases prior to late stage breast cancer. Women with dense breast tissue can bi-annually monitor their personalized score in conjunction with annual mammograms. An increasing trend would indicate the need for additional imaging modalities and result in earlier stage diagnosis of breast cancer.

The company's pipeline products include imaging and therapeutic applications of its novel platform technology. Proof of concept studies have demonstrated a strong potential for these products and the company is seeking partnership/licensing opportunities to further develop and commercialize therapies targeting unmet needs.

The OncoTAb team has over 200 years relevant experience to commercialize the Agkura™ Personal Score while concurrently developing a strong suite of pipeline products."

The Mods

ShetlandPony

This sounds interesting. I do have to say I wonder about this statement quoted above from the OncoTab web site: "Mammograms fail to detect cancer in 50% of women with high breast tissue density*" That sounds like scare tactics to get women to buy their test. This figure seems high, but I really don't know the numbers. Are they talking about digital mammograms? How about 3D mammograms (tomosynthesis)? (I looked at their web site and do not see what the asterisk refers to.)

Here is BCO article with information on detecting cancer in dense breasts:

http://www.breastcancer.org/research-news/add-3d-m...

Marybk0601

I don't think it is meant to be a scare tactic. I know I had a clean mammo just weeks before finding my own lump.

Mammograms failing to detect cancer in 50% of women with dense breast tissue is reported on other websites too. Are You Dense, Inc, and Are You Dense Advocacy, Inc. are not for profit organizations that are helping patients become advocates to introduce breast density reporting laws across the country. Their website reports mammography misses every other cancer (interpreting as 50%) in dense breast tissue: Their website has the following statement: "Though mammograms find some cancers not seen on other screening tests, in dense breasts, mammograms will miss more than 50% of the cancers present." I can't post the link - the mods won't let me but it is at densebreast-info dot org

I think (though I am no expert) that mammos have a hard time with dense breast tissue which is what most younger women have. Triple negative BC is more common in younger women and is super aggressive, and this blood test can catch it, in case it gets missed by a mammo. That is what I think is so great about it. I'm so tired of losing my support group friends to this type of cancer. But just my own opinion.

farmerlucy

Very interesting. I've heard that they are doing a liquid biopsy trial at OU Medicine. It'll be exciting to watch these types of tests develop. My tumor was not screen detected despite blue ribbon testing. My biggest gripe is that women need to be told about the efficacy of mammos and other tests from the outset. Most every woman I know who has not had breast cancer thinks "I had a clean mammo, I'm good."

Big business for sure. Change will not come easy.