Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get tested?
What type of sample is needed?
All panels require a surgically-obtained sample of your tumor. If your cancer does not require surgery, you are not eligible for this service. Most of our panel can be performed on archived tumor samples. Only our phospho protein panel requires that we contact your doctor prior to your surgery.
I’ve already had my surgery. Is it too late to have my cancer tested?
Costs vary depending on the battery of tests performed. Some tests are covered by medical insurance; the Clearity Foundation may be able to pay for testing costs that are not covered by your insurance company.
How much does all of this cost?
Costs vary depending on the battery of tests performed. Some tests are covered by medical insurance. The Clearity Foundation is committed to helping women with ovarian cancer make more informed treatment decisions regardless of her ability to pay and our grant process exists as a way of identifying patients that need financial assistance. As long as Clearity Foundation has the financial means to do so we hope to grant every financial assistance request. Please see our “Lab Costs and Grant Support” section for more information.
How does the sample get to the laboratory?
The Clearity Foundation has contracted with a laboratory service that will pick up your sample and order form and deliver it to the testing facility or the pathology lab at the hospital where you had surgery will send it via a courier.
What if I don’t live in the US? Can my cancer still be tested?
Please contact the Clearity Foundation for special delivery arrangements.
How long does it take for the test results to come back?
From the time the diagnostic laboratory receives the sample, it typically takes 10 to 14 days to get results from the first panel of tests and an additional 3-5 days to get the results from the second panel. The laboratory test results are provided from Caris and Clarient to your doctor and to Clearity immediately and the Clearity summary report will follow approximately 2 days later.
Once we have the test results, what’s next?
If your cancer continues to progress, the Clearity Foundation will help you and your doctor with treatment options, including facilitating choices for clinical trials. If your tests show that your cancer is sensitive to a particular drug or pathway we will work together with your doctor to find a protocol for your future treatment.
Why aren’t the drug companies doing this themselves? How does the Clearity Foundation help?
Drug companies perform targeted testing because the drug development process is so rigorous and a high volume of patients must be tested prior to the drug’s approval. Because the FDA requires statistical significance in these trials (a certain number of patients enrolled), drug companies develop for indications first where there is a high incidence rate, such as breast cancer (178,000 new diagnoses per year) rather than diseases such as ovarian cancer (22,000 new diagnoses per year).
Signing up to have your blueprint determined will help encourage drug companies to conduct more clinical trials in ovarian cancer. By understanding the blueprint across the ovarian cancer population and how each one is different or similar, will help direct future treatments.
How can I get started?
Clearity primarily partners with two diagnostic companies, Caris Life Sciences and Clarient Inc., to generate tumor blueprints for patients.
To begin the process, please click here.
