Tips For Getting An Accurate AMAS Cancer Test

Thrive-JeffBell_Close_Cropped_Headshot_10-29-2013The AMAS cancer test has been around for a couple of decades.  It is FDA approved, in many cases even covered by Medicare.  I only mention those two factors because they help to establish that this is not some wacky, esoteric test of doubtful validity.

To be sure, there are those in the mainstream, some radiologists and pathologists in particular, who seem to have made it a real focus of their regular activity to attack the AMAS test.  But I suspect that if you look beneath the covers, you will find an unspoken agenda underlying these attacks.  The AMAS test is the “gold standard” for cancer testing, from pre-diagnoses up through initial and some follow-up diagnoses in many parts of the world.  And it is widely used by those in the know even in the U.S.A.

The purpose of this post is not to convince you that the AMAS test is valid, nor to discuss the science on which it is based.  Rather, the purpose of this post is to help those who wish to get the test to know some details that will facilitate getting the test, and a few details and tips, which, if followed, will increase the accuracy and relevance of the test.

For more detail about test, please see my previous post:  https://myhealthoptimizer.com/want-a-highly-accurate-non-invasive-cancer-test/

or go directly to the web site for the AMAS test and read the research and articles posted there:  http://www.oncolabinc.com/

 

Brief Overview:

The AMAS test, which stands for “anti-malignin antibody serum”, measures the level of “anti-malignin antibody” in the blood serum.  To receive this test you will have a blood sample drawn in a way that is identical to a blood draw for almost any other blood test.  You will not notice any difference.  The amount of blood drawn, and all other aspects of the experience will be the same.

Once the blood sample has been collected, the local lab will process it in a very special way, pack it on dry ice and ship it via FedEx overnight to the actual testing lab, Onco Lab, in Boston, MA.

Onco Lab will process the sample and return the results to the health care provider who signed your test requisition.

Again, for more details on how the test works and why it is a good test, please see my previous post about the AMAS test:

https://myhealthoptimizer.com/want-a-highly-accurate-non-invasive-cancer-test/

 

How To Get An AMAS Test:

The AMAS test requires a special blood sample collection kit.  These are available within the continental U.S.A. at no charge from Onco Lab Inc.  Go to this site to request your free sample collection kit:

http://www.oncolabinc.com/order.php

Next you will need to fill in your online  test requisition form, which you will want to print and then have singed by your health care provider.  (This can be any practitioner licensed to order a blood draw in your state.  Different states in the U.S. have different regulations concerning who can order a blood draw and who cannot.)

Here is the site address for accessing the online test requisition:

http://www.oncolabinc.com/AMASrequisition.pdf

If your health care provider has doubts about the benefits of this test and may be therefore hesitant to sign the requisition, I would encourage them to go to the Onco Lab site and review the information on two pages.  Here are the addresses:

http://www.oncolabinc.com/license.php

and

http://www.oncolabinc.com/health.php

They may also be interested in the information under the FAQ, PUBLICATIONS and BLOG TABs on the site.  You may also find the materials of interest.  After all it is your health at issue, here.

If your provider still has questions or hesitations to order the test, they can contact me.  I will be happy to discuss the test, its relative accuracy, when it is appropriate and when it is not.  They can also call the lab directly to get their questions answered.  I have used and relied heavily on this test for years, and have high confidence in it when it is used properly.  I first learned about the AMAS test years ago from Dr. Richard Kunin, M.D., who was a colleague of Dr. Linus Pauling’s, as well as a cofounder with Dr. Pauling of the entire school and practice of OrthoMolecular Medicine.  To me, that is a very high recommendation.

The next section of this post will detail how to get the maximum accuracy from your AMAS test.

 

How To Get Accurate Results:

Once you have your test kit on its way to you, (It can take up to 5 business days to get your kit, so order right away if you plan to have the test soon), you will need to find a local lab that is qualified to properly process and ship your blood sample.  The blood draw itself is completely standard and requires no special equipment or special procedures.  However, properly preparing and shipping the sample does require special equipment and procedures.  You want to be sure that you use a lab that is certified by Onco Lab to do the preparation properly so that you can rely on your test results.

Once the local lab draws the sample, they will need to process it in a laboratory centrifuge, then pack it properly on dry ice, package it in the collection kit packing, and ship it to Onco Lab.  All of this must be done properly or the test will not be accurate.

To find a lab in your area that is certified to properly process the sample and ship it properly, you can use this link:

http://www.oncolabinc.com/map.php

If you do not find a lab that is near you that is certified to prepare your sample, you should call Onco Lab directly and ask them for help.  New labs are being certified frequently, and the on-line map may not be fully up to date.  If all else fails, I think it is worth traveling a few hours to get this valuable test done.

Once you have your local lab identified, you need to call them and make your appointment.  I recommend that you make sure your appointment is for prior to 9:30 am if possible.  And you certainly do not want it any later than 10:30 am.  The reason is that you want to be sure they have time to process your blood sample, pack it and ship it out via FedEx overnight service on the same day it is collected.

IMPORTANT!  You will want to make your appointment for a morning on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.  That way you can be sure that your test sample will not sit in a FedEx depot over a weekend, where the dry ice will melt and the sample will likely be ruined.

While you are talking with the local alb, you can ask if they have AMAS test kits on hand.  Some of the labs that do a lot of AMAS tests keep the collection kits and insulated shipping containers on hand.

Also ask if they have dry ice, or if you will need to bring it with you.  As with the collection kits, labs that do a lot of AMAS tests often keep dry ice on hand.  The amount needed for a single test is 3 pounds.  If you need to supply the dry ice yourself, you can use this link to find a source that is near the local lab you are using:

http://www.dryicedirectory.com/

You will want to get the ice as near to the lab as possible, and immediately place it in the insulated shipping container so that it is preserved as well as possible until the shipment is sealed and on its way.

There is no need to fast or prepare in any other special way for the AMAS test.

 

A Special Tip To Increase The Accuracy:

The AMAS test, depending on what studies you read, and under what circumstances it is used, has an accuracy range of somewhere between 93% and 97%.  So if you want to use the science of statistical math to eliminate false negatives and false positives almost completely, then here is a strategy you can use:  Get your first AMAS test and wait for the results.  As soon as you have the results, get a second test.  The statistical likelihood of two false positives or two false negatives in a row is so small that it is close to zero.  Most likely, your health insurance will not cover two such AMAS tests in a row.  However, since cancer is such a scary beast it may be worth the added piece of mind of paying for a second test out-of-pocket.

 

When Is The AMAS Test Appropriate And When Is It Not?

The AMAS test is appropriate and useful for detecting initial cancers, and for tracking remissions and recurrences up through approximately mid-stage.  The longer a cancer has been present, generally beyond initial diagnoses, or for recurrent cancers, the more times it has recurred, the less accurate the AMAS test.

Here’s why:  The AMAS test measures the presence and level of an antibody, called “Anti-Malignin Anti-body” in the blood serum.  The test is based on the fact that the body produces antibodies to cancers when cancers first occur.  For a significant time after the initial occurrence of cancer the body continues to produce this antibody when cancers are present.  However, if this goes on for long enough, as in the case of multiple recurrences, or very long term battles with cancers, the element of the immune system that is responsible for generating this anti-body eventually “wears out” and stops producing the anti-body.  So after a number of recurrences, or after a cancer has been present and active for a long time the incidence of false negatives goes up until eventually the testis of limited or perhaps even no value.  This factor, although thoroughly acknowledged, documented and published by Onco Lab is often used to try to discredit the test for all use.  But this is clearly an invalid objection.  (Perhaps there is a hidden agenda on the part of the “Cancer Industrial Complex” here?)

If you are not sure if the test is appropriate or not, I recommend that you call the very helpful staff at Onco Lab and discuss the specifics with them.  In my experience they are very straight-forward in addressing this issue and are happy to discuss these or any other concerns with both patients and health care providers.  Here is the number:  (800) 922-8378.

I hope this post has been helpful to you in sorting out one aspect of this difficult challenge to life, cancer.

As always, please let me know if I can be of further help.

To your great health!

Jeff Bell

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