Is Signatera worth it if my oncologist doesn't support it for cancer surveillanc...

I was thinking about doing it but may only once a year. So I haven’t yet. Would love to hear others thoughts. My oncologist did support it but not every 3 months. Your oncologist SHOULD support how you want to move for with your care!

This is a challenging situation that many patients face when wanting additional monitoring options for peace of mind. Having different perspectives from your medical team about surveillance tools can feel frustrating, especially when you're looking for every possible way to stay on top of your health. Many community members have navigated similar situations where they've explored different monitoring approaches, and it might be helpful to hear from others about their experiences with Signatera or how they've handled disagreements with their care teams about testing options.

Yes, I am tested every 3 months. What reason does your oncologist give for being opposed to it?

My oncologist is against it because a positive result does not indicate *where* the cancer is. My oncologist is afraid of a positive result, then we do scans, and do not find the cancer. I am afraid of just waiting for symptoms to learn I have a recurrence..... Once you have symptoms, it may be too late. Signatera allows you to identify recurrences before symptoms...

I have been using it every three months for almost a year and this time, they are actually coming to my home for the blood draw. The frustrating part about the test is the fact if you do test positive, you have no idea of where the cancer is at. At least you know to check for symptoms. I was actually thinking of stopping it.

Thank you Janelle. I fully understand what you say, the test had two sides, it is nice to get a negative result, but it also has the risk of a positive result, which can be very unsettling, because you ate absolutely right, the test will not tell where the cancer is this is indeed complex, I just wanted to share that I share your opinion on this.

BL, you are right to not wait for symptoms to show up. That is way too late. Seems to me, even you get a positive result but the test can’t tell you exactly where the camis, at least now you’ve got a heads up so you know to start looking, through scans and such. Always better to find and address it earlier rather than later.