How much is BRAC testing?

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited August 2012

    Autismmom,

    Here is a link to myriad genetics, the company that does BRCA testing (there's only one).

    http://www.myriad.com/products/bracanalysis.php

    The site provides an online quiz to see if you have any"red flags" that indicate if testing should be considered. Additionally, asking your doctor or genetic counselor if you fit the profile will help decide if this is appropriate for you.

    Caryn

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  • JoanQuilts
    JoanQuilts Member Posts: 633
    edited August 2012

    Caryn - the biggest thing I learned from my first breast cancer diagnosis (I was only 34 at the time) is that there are no guarantees in life.  There was absolutely no one who could definitively "make it all better."  My doctors reassured me that my chances of living a full life were very good, but they could not guarantee it. 

    This was very hard for me to swallow.  Many a night I howled at the moon that no matter how much I wished or hoped, nothing could change my situation.

    With time and maturity, I have come to understand and accept it, but it was a hard lesson to learn.

    PS - Your avatar  - I assume your granddaughter????  is adorable!!!

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited August 2012

    Joan,

    Yes, that's her! Thank you. She really is a doll and such an easy baby.The best bc medicine in the world. Yes, no guarantees are part and parcel of living with stage IV.

    Caryn

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  • prophet224
    prophet224 Member Posts: 2
    edited August 2012

    Hi all,

    New here, and I'm support, not diagnosed, but since I thought I'd try to add to the community sooner rather than later.

    Our family is just in the beginning months of this whole process. My wife's identical twin sister (T) has stage 4 BC, originally diagnosed as benign at 28, but now stage 4 at 29. They are both BRCA2 as is their half-sister (J).

    Obviously insurance may vary, but our experience with the gene testing was as follows:

    J had the test done and it ran her about $1,500. That apparently brought the cost down for my wife and T to around $350. I believe this was because they did not run the full-spectrum test but were able to restrict it to just the sequences that were positive for J.

     We did find that due to the age at diagnosis as well as family history (breast cancer and ovarian cancer) in several people, insurance paid for the test.

    -Matt

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  • prophet224
    prophet224 Member Posts: 2
    edited August 2012

    Hi all,

    New here, but I'm support, not diagnosed myself. My wife's identical twin sister (T) was diagnosed with stage 4 BC at 29 after previous diagnosis of benign. They and their half-sister (J) are all BRCA2.

    We found that due to family history (several people had bc or ovarian cancer) and the young age, insurance paid with no problem. J actually got the test first though, and I believe she had to pay $1.5k. Our test was apparently only about $350; I believe this was because they restricted the testing to the areas that were positive in J.

    Hope this helps some!

    -Matt

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  • howhm02l
    howhm02l Member Posts: 147
    edited August 2012

    Matt,



    I am so sorry that your sister in law, and that you and our wife, are dealing with this.



    My sister (36) is waiting for her results. They are just going to be checking for the mutation I have.



    There are a couple of organizations that I have found to be particularly helpful for young women. Www.brightpink.org is focused on young women with family history. Www.youngsurvival.org is focused on young women who have been diagnosed. Those sites have information that is not covered on these boards such as fertility preservation issues, etc.



    Your family is in my thoughts and prayers.

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  • 2FriedEggs
    2FriedEggs Member Posts: 640
    edited August 2012

    Prophet  So sorry for all your family is going thru at such a young age.

    For anyone BRAC positive  or wondering if you could be- Another great group that focuses on heriditary cancers, has telephone helplines if you want to ask about tests, genetics, cancers, etc and can be really helpful is FORCE. They deal with those with hereditary cancers as well as those who test positive for BRAC. Alot of the OBGyn docs and BS's here deal with them and they have some  good seminars countrywide . Their website is http://www.facingourrisk.org/

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2012

    most info on BRCA testing I've seen quote around $3300

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  • 2FriedEggs
    2FriedEggs Member Posts: 640
    edited August 2012

    There was some kind of patent lawsuit going on with Myriad and I was hoping that others would be allowed to do the testing too and that that would bring the prices down. Doesn't look like that's going to happen too soon though. But AWB you are pretty spot on there as far as what they billed my insurance ($3340) but unfortunately that didn't include the Bart test which my insurance didn't cover. I don't remember how much more that was but I am hopeful I will be able to get it soon to rule out BRAC once and for all.

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  • JoanQuilts
    JoanQuilts Member Posts: 633
    edited August 2012

    BART is $700.  It is quite possible that your insurance is now covering it as Medicare has started to cover it and commercial insurance companies often follow what Medicare does.

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