The following data is from an article in Medscape from 2012.
Onco Drug Personalized Medicine (ODPM) in Angers, France has created a multi-parametric approach to testing for DPD Deficiency. This test has been proven to be more accurate then previous screening methods. The “ODPM Tox Test” uses a 2-pronged approach by combining genetic testing along with testing for deficient phenotypic status “using uracil and dihydrouracil quantification and the dihydrouracil/uracil ratio as an index of metabolism”.
“We are now using this prescreen in routine clinical practice,” Dr. Jean-Philippe Metges reported. He estimated that around 2400 patients are screened annually in cancer centers in the Angers, France region.
The test is conducted on a single blood sample, and results are available in 8 days. The cost is around €180 (~US$224) per patient, Dr. Metges said.
What’s even more impressive is this piece of information:
The cost of prescreening all the new patients in this region of France was less than the cost (in emergency and intensive care costs) of treating severe toxicity in 1 patient. This was concluded by Dr Sory Traoré, MD from the Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.
That last paragraph is so powerful. Imagine all the lives that could be saved…imagine all the heartache that could be prevented if this test was used in the United States.
Or, to put it in terms that would help the insurance companies take notice… imagine how much money insurance companies could save if all patients were prescreened.
Read more about the ODPM Tox™ Test
http://www.odpm.fr/en/Patient/Toxic-Side-Effect-Prevention