The One Test Every Cancer Patient Should Know
Just over five years ago, the FDA approved the first comprehensive NextGeneration Sequencing tests.
This test takes pieces of a person’s actual tumor and analyzes the genetic mutations. When we talk of personalized treatment, this is it.
We believe all high-risk cancer patients should get NextGeneration tumor sequencing.
In this webinar, we discuss what makes a patient high-risk, what the test does for patients, and how to get it.
You may know the test by other names:
- Genetic Analysis
- Molecular Profiling
- Tumor Sequencing
- Biomarker Testing
- Genomic Testing
- Next Generation (NextGen) Sequencing
Essentially they are all the same in that they look at the DNA makeup of a patient’s cancer. And for nearly every patient, this is different and can guide them to the best cancer care possible.
What This Session Covers
- What is the one test that every single cancer patient should know?
- What are gene mutations like BRCA?
- What makes it NextGen sequencing?
- Who should get NextGen sequencing?
- How do you get NextGen sequencing done and get the report?
- How does this affect treatment decisions?
- How else is tumor sequencing helpful to cancer patients?
- Why aren’t more cancer patients getting this test done?
- When and how do you ask your oncologist about this?
- What to do if no tumor tissue is available (circulating tumor DNA test)
- What to do if your oncologist won’t order the test
- What test is best (any that test as much as possible)?
- Why your oncologist might tell you the report won’t change your treatment
- Matching to clinical trials from NextGen sequencing
This article was originally published on the Sagely Health blog.