Patient Information
Sentry Laboratories provides your doctor with the most accurate results to enhance your care.
The Importance of Screening
Your doctor may notice a white or red area, an ulcer, a small bump, or an area of irritated or changed tissue during an exam. Most of the time, these common spots are entirely harmless and cause no problems. Many people have them. And some changes can't be seen at all. Sometimes, even when nothing looks particularly abnormal to your doctor, the tissue may contain abnormal cells. And if not treated, these cells, although not dangerous now, could potentially turn into cancer. That's why your doctor will take a sample and send it for analysis to Sentry Laboratories to make sure it's not harmful.
During a routine oral exam, your ENT carefully examines your mouth and throat. If your ENT notices a white or red area, an ulcer or a small bump, they can easily obtain a sample as an office procedure.
For the esophagus, the tube that carries food from your throat to your stomach, your GI (gastroenterologist) examines the lining during an upper endoscopy. Because precancerous changes in the esophagus are often too small to see, your GI can use a special brush to collect a sample from a wide area of the esophagus during the same procedure.
See your ENT for routine oral screening, and talk to your GI if you have chronic reflux.
What to expect with Sentry testing
1
Your doctor will obtain
a sample of tissue in
the office to be sure it does not become a problem. This procedure usually results in little or no pain or bleeding.
2
Your sample will be submitted to Sentry Laboratories, the only dedicated ENT specialty laboratory in the U.S.
It will undergo specialized computer-assisted analysis by expert ENT pathologists.
3
Results will be sent to your doctor. The majority of results are "negative", ruling out any precancerous or cancerous changes. Abnormal cells that are identified can usually be treated by your doctor long before they become a problem.
Insurance Coverage:
Sentry Laboratories is an “in-network” provider with Medicare. If Sentry is considered to be an “out-of- network” provider by your insurance plan, you may receive an EOB (Explanation of Benefits) from your insurance plan that indicates that you owe a payment to the laboratory.
You can disregard the EOB, since, with the exception of standard Medicare co-pays and deductibles, Sentry will accept the in-network payment received from your insurance company as payment in full, and you will have no financial responsibility for any balance.
If you have any questions, please contact Sentry Laboratories directly at 1-800-385-1793.