Before you can ask the right questions, you need the right vocabulary. Personalized medicine targets the mutation, not just the organ — and that distinction changes everything about how you fight.
Partner with your doctor to understand the best approach for fighting your specific cancer. When you have genomic sequencing done, you get a detailed "molecular profile" of your cancer. But to make the most of that conversation, you need to know what you're asking about. Start here. Build the vocabulary. Then walk into the appointment with the questions and the language to advocate for yourself.
Navis is a free AI chatbot built for cancer patients and caregivers learning about personalized medicine. Ask any of the five foundational questions below — or anything else you want to understand about your cancer, treatment options, or genomic sequencing.
Navis is a free AI chatbot from Cancer Patient Lab, built for patients and caregivers — not clinicians. Ask plain-English questions about personalized medicine, biomarker testing, and clinical trials, and get answers that help you walk into your next appointment ready to partner with your doctor.
Ask Navis →
Ask Navis these questions, or bring them to your oncologist. Either way, the answers build the foundation you need before Step 02.
What is personalized medicine, and how is it different from standard treatment?The big-picture distinction. Standard treatment targets the cancer's location. Personalized medicine targets the cancer's DNA.
What are genomic sequencing, genetic testing, biomarker testing, and molecular profiling?Four terms that get used interchangeably but aren't quite the same thing. Knowing the difference helps you ask for the right test.
Who is eligible to get sequenced?Eligibility has expanded significantly. The answer is "more people than think they qualify."
What are the benefits and downsides of these newer approaches to fighting cancer?Honest framing — personalized medicine isn't magic. Knowing the tradeoffs helps you make informed decisions.
How could personalized medicine change my treatment plan and outcomes?The personal version. Your specific cancer, your specific data, your specific options.
You can Ask Navis anything beyond these. Don't feel limited to the five.
Quick definitions for the four terms that come up in every appointment, every report, every trial listing.
The instruction set inside every cell. Cancer cells have changes (mutations) in this instruction set that make them grow uncontrollably. Sequencing reads those instructions.
A change in DNA. Some mutations drive cancer (driver mutations). Some are along for the ride (passenger mutations). Knowing the difference shapes your treatment options.
Treatment matched to the molecular drivers of your specific cancer — not just the organ where it started. A drug that works on a lung tumor can work on a prostate tumor if they share the same mutation.
Reading the DNA of your tumor to find which mutations are driving it. The output is a "molecular profile" — your personal map of what's targetable, what's not, and where the doors might be.
All people suffering from cancer deserve new insights into what is driving their disease.— Bryce Olson
When you partner with your doctor in Step 02, you'll want a checklist. The Battle Plan is the printable artifact Bryce built to walk into appointments prepared.
Step 01 is where the playbook starts. Step 02 is where you act on what you've learned.