Anyone test Neg via CompBRCA testing but Pos via BART?

Weety, my BS ordered BART, but the insurance company says after investigating my case they determined it would be experimental. Myriad says I qualify as high risk.



My doctors should have gotten my BRCA results last week, but apparently my BS feels it would be better for me to wait until I see a geneticist on Tuesday to get my results. I'll probably ask for the BART test if I'm BRCA negative just because I personally want to know if my cancer is related to either of my dad's parents' early cancer deaths.



Is your dad doing ok?

Weety, I found out I'm BRCA negative and the geneticist believes from a statistical standpoint it would be very unlikely I would have BART come back positive.  She said there is enough of a family history in my case to suspect some sort of mutation, but whether or not there is a test yet that would find it - who knows.  I don't have any nieces, sisters, or daughters - I do have two sons and I do worry a little for them.  I will probably stop here with the testing unless my insurance covers the new BreastNext test, which I doubt it will.  It turns out my insurance is one of the very last holdouts against paying for the BART test.

That is exactly how I feel - it does sound wrong but it would be nice to have an explanation.  Plus I never got to know any of my grandparents and I guess I am wishing for a tangible connection.  Now that seems kind of stupid, since I could point to any number of things, like my crooked teeth and goofy smile, that look like my grandma's.  The cancer is dramatic though - and my dad has always been quiet about what he went through with his parents, so I focus on that. 

The geneticist told me BreastNext JUST became available very recently - in the past month or two?  If you google it, it says Ambry genetics does it, and it lists several genes they test.  Takes two months to get results.  One of the genes they test also is a factor for pancreatic cancer, so maybe you are having that one tested already.  I read a critique of this test saying it costs a lot and a lot of the genes on the list - except for the CHK2 or check2 (?) - are only going to be a factor for a tiny minority of women.  My geneticist said Humana might pay for it just because it's so new they haven't figured out yet what their policy is on it. 

I was negative according to the BRCA test, but was BRCA 2 positive after they ran the BART test so I would do both if you can.

I was negative for BRCA1, BRCA2 and BART. Had my blood drawn for the BreastNext test on Friday so will wait for the results. My mother has breast cancer and five of my twelve women cousins on her side of the family have had breast cancer too. My oncologist was doubtful than my insurance would pay for any testing but I chose to go to the university-based cancer center in my state to see their genetics counselors. They have been successful in getting approval from my insurance company for each of the tests. I did need to see a doctor (a geneticist) for the BreastNext test to be covered. One of the main reasons I wanted to go ahead with the test is to share any results with my cousins as well as know more about my own risk for other cancers.

At the visit, they explained that about one third of the genes in the test have a known link to cancer, about one third are known to not be linked to cancer, and another third they aren't sure about. In other words, the test may result in more questions and unknowns but I think information, of any kind, is helpful to me.

I am 33 yrs old in 2011 I was negative for BRCA 1&2, then tested for BART. I lost my Mother and her younger sister to Breast Cancer. Her older sister had Breast cancer twice. My Dads sister is a survivor. Under BART I tested positive for a BRCA 2 gene. While undergoing appts for a prophylactic mastectomy I developed 3 tumors. 14 moths ago I had the surgery and I believe it was just in time. The pathology showed one tumor had "pre cancerous" cells. None of my family tested. My cousin is 2 years older and has BC.

NanaMimi - are you sure your insurance won't cover BART?  I was diagnosed with bc for the second time about a year and a half ago.  At first, my insurance wouldn't cover.  But then Medicare started to cover and my onc told me this was a good sign - that when Medicare starts to cover a procedure, commercial insurers often follow suit.  Sure enough, my testing was covered.

PS - I was negative for BRCA and BART, yet I had breast cancer for the first time at age 34, and then against at 53.  Go figure!  (Best of luck!).

Joan

Kaiser paid for BART for me late 2012 or early 2013 (I'm starting to forget exact BC-related dates which is great!). I will never understand how myriad justifies not including BART in every test.  Yes, the mutations that BART looks for are very rare, but the U Washington folks showed that myriad was missing 12-20% of deleterious mutations when they didn't run BART too.  Couldn't your genetic counselor (or a geneticist MD) appeal the decision?  They would have a better chance winning if you could show the utility of the additional testing for you - in other words, what would it change?  Would you have a prophylactic oophorectomy if you are positive?  You could always have the genetic counselor test you for the TP53 mutation (Li Fraumeni) first and then if that's negative, you could push for BART.  The U of Washington's Broca panel can test for mutations in over 40 cancer related genes - maybe your counselor could look into ordering the panel for you and it would be a full BRCA sequencing along with TP53 and a bunch of others.  The clear downside to this test is how long it takes to get results - 3 months!

I did speak with my genetic counselor and she is working with Myriad and Aetna to try and get it covered.  Fingers crossed! 

I had bc in 2002. In 2007, my daughter got bc. She was BRCA tested and tested negative. Four years later, she got bc in the other breast. New primary. When I went to see my Gyne, I told her that my daughter had bc for the second time. The first time at age 39. Doc sent me to a geneticist, who sent me for the BART test. it came back BRCA1+. After my positive test, my daughter tested again, with BART and she came back positive.