Your report comes back. Acronyms, percentages, gene names. Most patients glaze over. You don't have to. Five questions cut through the noise.
Once your results are ready, they're often delivered directly to your electronic health record — sometimes before your doctor has reviewed them. That can feel disorienting. The good news: you don't need to understand every line. You need to understand what matters for your treatment decisions. The five questions below get you there.
Cancer cells accumulate many DNA changes. But not every change matters. The first thing to figure out: which mutations are actually causing the problem, and which are just along for the ride.
The DNA changes that are actively pushing the cancer to grow and spread. These are the ones that matter most for treatment — because if a drug or trial targets the driver, you can shut down what's actually causing the problem. Focus your conversation here.
DNA changes that show up in the report but aren't driving the cancer. They're side effects of cancer's instability, not causes. Worth noting, but not where treatment decisions get made. Don't get distracted.
Individual tumor types rely on heavily distinct genetic pathways. According to peer-reviewed data compiled by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specific driver mutations dictate individual diseases. When searching for a trial match, these are the mutations on your genomic report that matter most. Each one can unlock a different family of trials.
| Mutation | Most Common Associated Cancer Types |
|---|---|
| TP53 | Ovarian, Colorectal, Head and Neck, Lung, Breast |
| PIK3CA | Breast, Endometrial, Colorectal, Bladder |
| KRAS | Pancreatic, Colorectal, Non-Small Cell Lung (NSCLC) |
| APC | Colorectal, Stomach |
| BRAF | Melanoma, Thyroid, Colorectal |
| EGFR | Non-Small Cell Lung (NSCLC), Glioblastoma |
| BRCA1 / BRCA2 | Breast, Ovarian, Prostate, Pancreatic |
| PTEN | Endometrial, Glioblastoma, Prostate |
| IDH1 / IDH2 | Glioma/Glioblastoma, Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) |
| ALK | Non-Small Cell Lung (NSCLC), Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma |
These are some of the most common drivers — not the full list. New targets are discovered all the time, which means new trials and new options are always opening up. If your report shows a marker that isn't here, that's not a dead end — it's a question for your care team.
Print these. Bring the report. Walk through each question with your oncology team. By the end of the appointment, you'll know what's driving your cancer, what's targetable, and what to focus on.
What are the key mutations found in the tumor, and which ones are driving the cancer?Focus on the changes that actually matter for growth and treatment. Not every line on the report is equally important.
Are any of these mutations treatable or targetable with current therapies or clinical trials?Helps you know what treatment options are possible — both standard-of-care and trials.
Is this mutation profile typical for this type of cancer, or does it make the cancer behave differently?Gives insight into prognosis and how your cancer is likely to respond to treatment.
Are any mutations inherited (germline), and could this affect family members?Important for family risk and possible genetic counseling. Some mutations have implications beyond your own treatment.
Which 2–3 findings from this report are most important for my treatment decisions?Force-rank the priorities. This is the question that turns a confusing report into a clear plan.
Upload your records and Vantage — a free AI tool from opencancer.ai — analyzes your case from five distinct expert perspectives, not just one. Treat it as a starting point for understanding, never a substitute for your doctor.
Vantage is a free AI tool from opencancer.ai. Upload your records and it reviews your case through five expert lenses — giving you the full landscape to bring to your care team. For preparing questions before your appointment, not for making treatment decisions on your own.
I brought my data to every appointment. I stopped being a passenger.— Bryce Olson
Your genomic report isn't a one-time read. As your treatment evolves, as new trials open, as your cancer changes, the same report gets revisited with fresh questions. The patients who get the most out of personalized medicine treat their report like a working document — annotated, dog-eared, present at every conversation.
You know what's driving your cancer. Step 04 is where you find the trials that target it.