Agreed regarding the office - I'll get it deleted.
U/S and biopsy - yup, not nice and agree about freeing the cells isn't the best idea.
PET scans are free to all at Peter Mac (personal experience) - but that's not the area under debate. The cost now is less than $700.
My point - and again I am hunting for facts not selling features (as BC is a bloody curse in my family as I said above) - is that
I have no idea where this test will feature in a diagnostic pathway.
If a woman with a breast lump goes to the GP she will get CA-15 CA-27 and CA-125 done automatically.
The results will either send her off for a biopsy / mammogram or a PET scan if there are high marker readings.
With familial history - identical pathway
If a woman with breast pain (and I am assuming there is no change during menstrual cycle in all examples) goes to the GP - same tumour marker tests, same follow up.
In all 3 cases, as there is a genuine concern, PET scans will be free (trust me on this).
I'm not seeing a pathway where any woman presenting with any of the above - pain, growth, family history - would require this test, as even if they have it, the follow up will be the same.
Any oncologist will demand tumour markers as they are the only effective guide to response to radiation / chemotherapy / immunotherapy - unless they intend to send the woman off for a monthly PET scan, which of course they won't.
As I understand it - and there is a massive deficit in solid information here - the Bcal test is 85% successful in labs at a simple yes / no to breast cancer.
It has no value as an ongoing evaluation method of treatment efficiency - whereas the tumour marker tests do.
This is my block to investing - I cannot find any reason why a woman would ask for this test, and if they did, why would the GP not use the tried and trusted CA-15 etc etc route?
We both clearly know that if there is a hint of a lesion then it's a biopsy to see if malignant or benign, and if malignant, then into the PET she goes.
I'm not seeing how this test changes anything tbh.
Now the market clearly does, and it's frustrating the heck out of me that I can't.
The other areas of concern for me personally - and again, if I'm to invest my money, i feel I'm entitled to ask questions - is that the costings aren't even hinted at.
1) Deductions at a minimum from POC fees would be: royalties to GP / sales rep - distribution and transportation fees - pharmacy fees - storage fees plus lab costs.
2) If only 1 lab is doing the tests - what about delays? My wife can currently go to the GP and walk next door to the path lab for her tumour markers. With this, if I'm reading it right - the sample has to go to North Ryde?
3) Statutory permitting - again, very very vague on the timeline and process - as it is with Medicare funding.
Saying approval and rebates should be done, isn't acceptable in any company with out permits or guaranteed rebate agreements!
I can say I'll win the lottery tonight but it makes no difference to whether I will or not.
All I want is a pointer to where I can find the info I'm after because it's not in the presentation slides.
This is important to me and my family, so I do tend to be very vigilant when people promise the world in the cancer industry.
Thanks for your time if you read this.
(20min delay)