DNA isn't the whole story, RNA matters too

DNA is your cells' instruction manual. RNA is what happens when a cell actually reads and acts on those instructions, including mistakes where two genes get fused together in a way that can drive cancer growth. Without reading the RNA, these "gene fusions" can be missed entirely, because DNA alone often cannot reveal them, and a targeted therapy that could work better than standard treatment is never identified.

Gene fusions occur across many cancer types, not just one or two, and finding one may open the door to a precision therapy designed to target it. Because DNA-only testing can miss fusions that RNA testing detects, analyzing both can provide the most complete picture of your cancer.

Fusions can occur in any cancer type. RNA testing is especially important in cancers such as lung, thyroid, bile duct, sarcoma, and gliomas, especially in children, where they are more common.

For Example

Someone with lung cancer has DNA-only testing that comes back with no clear driver, leaving few options beyond standard chemotherapy. RNA testing on that same sample finds a gene fusion, such as ALK, ROS1, RET, or NTRK, making them eligible for a targeted therapy built specifically for that fusion instead of a one-size-fits-all approach.

Questions To Ask Your Oncologist

Does my test analyze RNA, or only DNA?
If my DNA results show no driver, should RNA testing be added?

At Diagnosis

Additional Tests

Some cancer types have specialized tests, beyond broad genomic profiling, that are run near diagnosis. Coverage for these varies by insurer and situation. Ask your oncologist what applies to you.

Breast

MI Clarity (Caris Life Sciences)

A single test run on your tumor at diagnosis that answers two questions from one sample: whether chemotherapy is likely to help you now, and whether continuing hormone therapy past five years is likely to help you later.

Oncotype DX Breast (Exact Sciences)

Estimates recurrence risk and likely chemotherapy benefit at diagnosis for hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Index (Biotheranostics)

A gene-expression test that helps predict whether continuing hormone therapy beyond five years is likely to lower the risk of a later recurrence.

MammaPrint (Agendia)

A 70-gene tissue test run at diagnosis for early-stage breast cancer that sorts recurrence risk into High, Low, or Ultra Low to help decide whether chemotherapy is likely to help.

BluePrint (Agendia)

Run alongside MammaPrint on the same tissue sample to classify the subtype of the tumor (Luminal, HER2, or Basal), which helps guide which type of treatment is likely to work.

Prosigna (Veracyte)

A gene-expression test used at diagnosis to help decide whether chemotherapy can be safely avoided in certain hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers.

PreciseBreast / PDxBr (PreciseDx)

An AI-based digital pathology test that analyzes the tumor slide at diagnosis to help estimate recurrence risk alongside standard pathology.

DCISionRT (PreludeDx)

For ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), not invasive breast cancer. Run on the biopsy or surgical tissue to estimate recurrence risk and help decide whether radiation after surgery is likely to help.

Colorectal

Oncotype DX Colon (Exact Sciences)

Used after surgery in Stage II colon cancer to help estimate recurrence risk and inform the chemotherapy decision.

Lung (NSCLC)

LungOI (Imagene)

An AI test that reads the existing pathology slide to give a fast read on common actionable biomarkers, as a bridge while full NGS results are still pending.

Prostate

Decipher Prostate (Veracyte)

A genomic risk score used around diagnosis or after prostate surgery to help guide how intensive treatment should be.

Genomic Prostate Score (MDxHealth)

Run on biopsy tissue at diagnosis to help predict how aggressive the cancer is likely to be.

ArteraAI Prostate (Artera)

An AI test that combines the biopsy pathology image with clinical details to help predict how the cancer is likely to behave and whether adding hormone therapy to radiation is likely to help.

Melanoma

DecisionDx-Melanoma (Castle Biosciences)

A genomic test at diagnosis that helps guide staging decisions and surveillance intensity for cutaneous melanoma.

MyPath Melanoma (Castle Biosciences)

Helps classify an ambiguous mole or lesion as benign or melanoma when a visual diagnosis alone is unclear.

Bladder

Decipher Bladder (Veracyte)

A genomic risk score used at diagnosis to help guide treatment intensity for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Thyroid Nodules

Afirma (Veracyte)

Run on an indeterminate thyroid nodule biopsy to help determine whether it's benign or cancerous, before deciding on surgery.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma (Skin)

DecisionDx-SCC (Castle Biosciences)

Estimates metastasis risk at diagnosis for squamous cell carcinoma with one or more risk factors.

Uveal Melanoma

DecisionDx-UM (Castle Biosciences)

A prognostic test at diagnosis that helps estimate metastatic risk for this eye cancer.

Pancreatic

PurIST (Tempus)

Classifies pancreatic tumor subtype at diagnosis, which can inform chemotherapy selection.

Head And Neck

OncoPrism-HNSCC (Cofactor Genomics)

An RNA-based test for recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma that helps predict whether immunotherapy is likely to control the disease.

Cancer Of Unknown Primary (CUP)

GPSai (Caris Life Sciences)

Developed specifically to identify the likely tissue of origin in cancer of unknown primary (CUP), by comparing the tumor's genomic and gene-expression profile against a large library of known cancers. It can also help confirm or clarify the diagnosis for other tumors when the origin or subtype is uncertain. Automatically included, at no extra cost and with no separate sample, whenever Caris MI Cancer Seek and/or Caris Assure is ordered.

CancerTYPE ID (Biotheranostics)

A separate, standalone test run on the biopsy tissue that compares its gene-expression pattern to known tumor types, to help identify the likely site of origin when it is not otherwise clear.

Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2026

Overview

TestMyTumor.org (the "Site") is built to work without asking who you are. You can browse every test, cancer type, and educational page on the Site without creating an account, logging in, or providing any personal information. This policy explains the very limited data the Site does handle, and specifically what we collect through the optional, anonymous follow-up survey.

Information we do not collect

We do not ask for or collect your name, email address, phone number, date of birth, mailing address, government ID, or any other information that directly identifies you. There is no account system and no login on this site.

The anonymous follow-up survey

After you look up your cancer type, the site generates a QR code to an optional survey related to your oncologist's advice. The code is anonymous and stored only with the broad cancer category, type and stage you looked up. It is not linked to your name, email address, IP address, or device in any way. The survey itself hopes to capture oncologist testing trends across the U.S. All survey fields are optional, and the QR code is deleted from our system as soon as a response is submitted. The survey can also be reached without a code, for example from the QR code in the printable patient guide. In that case the survey asks for your cancer type and stage directly, and nothing else about you is requested or stored.

Cookies and tracking

This site does not use cookies, advertising trackers, or analytics services, and does not track your activity here or on any other website. The Site does not collect, store, or transmit personally identifiable information or protected health information (PHI).

Data retention

Aggregated, anonymous survey responses are retained to support ongoing analysis of nationwide testing patterns.

Is this HIPAA-protected health information?

HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) generally applies to healthcare providers, health plans, and their business associates handling identifiable medical records within a treatment or billing relationship. TestMyTumor.org is not a healthcare provider, does not create medical records, and does not have a treatment relationship with you. The anonymous survey described above is a voluntary, patient-reported research tool, not a medical record, and is designed to exclude the identifiers that would make information protected health information under HIPAA.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time as the site changes. The "last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent version. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the updated policy.

Contact us

Questions about this policy can be sent to contact@testmytumor.org.

Find the right cancer test for your diagnosis

DNA isn't the whole story, RNA matters too

Compare Tests: Tissue