Frequently Asked Questions about the BT Test
Q: What is the BT Test?
Q: How does the BT Test work?
A: The BT Test measures a select grouping of well-known cancer related proteins in a blood serum sample, and by using a proprietary algorithm to combine that data with a patient's personal medical profile, a BT Score is generated that reflects the level of probability that breast cancer is present.
Read more about how the BT test works here.
Q: Who should get the BT Test?
A: Provista Life Sciences recommends all women over the age of 35 get the BT Test every year along with their annual screening mammogram.
Q: Does the test tell women whether or not they have breast cancer?
A: An abnormal score on the BT Test is an indicator of an increased likelihood of having breast cancer. The actual diagnosis of cancer can only be confirmed by a tissue biopsy with the specimen examined under a microscope for tumor cells.
Q: What is the process for taking the BT Test and receiving the results?
A: A patient receives a prescription/draw authorization for the BT Test from the healthcare provider. The patient then takes the prescription/draw authorization to a blood draw facility such as Sonora Quest Laboratories. The patient's sample is sent to
Provista Diagnostics to perform the BT Test and the results are reported directly to the prescribing physician to review with the patient.
Q: How does this test differ from genetic testing or other biomarker testing?
A: Genetic tests establish a risk estimate as to the possibility that the patient may or may not get breast cancer in the future. The BT Test looks at the existing levels of certain cancer-associated proteins in the patient's blood sample and evaluates whether or not the disease is currently present based on extensive clinical trial study results.
Q: Is the BT Test covered by insurance?
A: Provista Life Sciences will file private insurance claims on behalf of women who take the BT Test and cover 100 percent of the test's cost not covered by insurance. For women who do not wish to submit an insurance claim, the BT Test is available at a cost of $295.
Q: Is the BT Test FDA-approved?
A: The test is regulated under the FDA's Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendment (CLIA). Provista Diagnostics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Provista Life Sciences, provides the laboratory services for the tests and is a CLIA registered reference laboratory.
Q: Where can someone go to find more information about the BT Test?
A: See our information online in our
Breast Cancer Test section for information about breast cancer, about the BT Test, research conducted on the BT Test and a list of physicians who currently prescribe the test.