Why I’m Getting a Galleri Blood Test for Cancer Detection, Even Though It Costs $1000
Long story short: as soon as I heard about the Galleri blood test, I realized that I wanted to have this done. Both my father and my sister died of pancreatic cancer in their 50s, both diagnosed at Stage 4. I’m currently in my 50s and had bone cancer when I was a teen. Every day pancreatic cancer is in the back of my mind — every abdominal pain or digestive issue feels as though it could be a life-threatening symptom.
This past spring, I had multiple routine screening tests for cancer, including a mammogram and a colonoscopy. No cancer was found. However, pancreatic cancer is so difficult to diagnose at an early stage that it is almost never detected while it is treatable, and there is no routine screening test for pancreatic cancer. Moreover, my family cancer history elevates my risk of contracting pancreatic cancer by 8–11%.
Ultimately, I realized that peace of mind is worth the high price tag for this blood test.
So I will be getting the blood draw for the Galleri test in the next few weeks, and then about two weeks later, I will have the result. I’ll update my story when I know whether or not the test found cancer, and I’ll keep you updated about any details of my experience that may be helpful in making your own decision about whether to pursue a Galleri test for yourself.
From the Galleri test website:
The Galleri test is recommended for use in adults with an elevated risk for cancer, such as those aged 50 or older. The Galleri test does not detect all cancers and should be used in addition to routine cancer screening tests recommended by a healthcare provider. Galleri is intended to detect cancer signals and predict where in the body the cancer signal is located.
UPDATE: My post explaining my Galleri Test results
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