Instead of helping, in Berta Pesantez’s case, the chemotherapy was wearing her body down even more. The cancer that had started in the bile ducts had already spread to the lungs.
“I underwent eight hours of painful chemotherapy, but I didn’t see results. He couldn’t take even ten steps without losing his breath. What I didn’t want to lose was my faith or the desire to continue fighting,” Pesantez said.
The Ecuadorian woman lives in New York City and was contemplating returning to her homeland to say goodbye to her loved ones and die there, when her doctor recommended that she undergo a biomarker test.
“After receiving the results, the doctors put me on a different treatment. With two sessions of the new chemotherapy, I was already feeling much better,” she said.
Biomarker testing is key to accessing precision medicine, also known as personalized medicine, which can help patients with cancer and other chronic diseases live longer and with a better quality of life. Additionally, nearly 60% of all cancer drugs approved in the past five years require or recommend biomarker testing before taking them.
Despite the immense benefits of biomarker testing, many patients are forced to pay out of pocket, incur debt, or go without these revolutionary tests because their insurance plans do not cover them. These challenges disproportionately affect people of color, people with limited incomes, and residents of rural areas.
Bill
Upon learning of this injustice, Pesantez decided to join the efforts of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) by sharing her experience and urging lawmakers to pass a bill that would require everyone to New York State-regulated health plans, including Medicaid, cover comprehensive biomarker testing for patients who need it.
The state Legislature passed the bill in June 2023 and Gov. Kathy Hochul signed it into law on Dec. 22.
“This new law is good for the health of New York and its residents. Ensuring that more people in the state have access to biomarker testing means that more patients with cancer or other chronic diseases will have the information they need to identify the most effective treatments for their specific condition,” said Michael Davoli, senior director of government relations. of ACS CAN in New York.
“I feel very blessed to have been able to get the biomarker tests done on time. Thanks to this, I have had the gift of spending more time with my family and meeting and watching my first granddaughter grow up.
It fills me with pride to have contributed to making a change so that many more people have a better opportunity to beat cancer,” said Pesantez.
The law will go into effect on January 1, 2025.
Fuente: American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)
2024-01-22 13:22:22
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