“You can do this, too.” — Bryce Olson
Start Where You Are.
Five steps. You don’t have to start at one. Pick the door that matches where you are right now — you can always come back for the rest.
Get Educated About Sequencing
Cancer is a DNA disease. The same mutation that drives a lung tumor can drive a prostate or colon tumor — and the same drug can sometimes treat all three, though every cancer is its own puzzle. That's the whole idea behind personalized medicine: treat what's driving the cancer, not just where it showed up. But you only find the driver if someone looks. Push for comprehensive genomic profiling — it's increasingly standard, but it's not automatic. Learn the vocabulary first. Walk into the appointment armed.
Ask To Get Sequenced
Walk into your oncology appointment with the questions and the Battle Plan. Ask for comprehensive genomic profiling — most oncologists will be on board, and many will already have it in your plan. If it hasn't come up, ask. If you're dismissed, demand it. And before you go — check your coverage.
Decode Your Genomic Report
Your report comes back. It's confusing. Some mutations matter. They're driving the cancer and have drugs targeting them. Some don't. They're passengers along for the ride. Five questions cut through the noise.
Find A Clinical Trial
Before you search for a trial, understand your standard of care. If you fit it, you have evidence on your side — that’s a strong position. Trials make sense when standard options are exhausted, insufficient, or unavailable for your markers. Start with your cancer care team first. Then use our suite of trial matching tools for molecular matching against your specific markers — EGFR, BRAF, KRAS, HER2, BRCA, PD-L1, MSI, TMB. Bryce enrolled in four trials at four cancer centers. One of them tripled his survival.
Find Support Resources
Cancer affects every area of your life: your family, your finances, your kids, your work, your body, your identity. The medical team treats your tumor. The Motley Crew points you to support for everything else.
