Why NeoGenomics testing?
As a leader in cancer diagnostics, we’ve built upon 20 years of diagnosing and analyzing various forms of solid tumors and blood cancers. We play an integral part within your cancer care team by providing vital insights about a cancer’s diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy selection.
Frequently asked questions
Our Patient Support team is available Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm ET. Please call us at 866.776.5907, Option 9.
Only your doctor can order a NeoGenomics test. We have developed a discussion guide to help you have the conversation.
Based on the tumor profiling needs, there are different types of testing panels ranging from highly focused to comprehensive. Highly focused cancer testing profiles typically analyze a few genes specific to that cancer type. They are used more often for certain cancer types, such as lung cancer or colon cancer. Comprehensive cancer profiling tests look at hundreds of genes for diverse (or pan-cancer) solid tumors.
Weighing potential outcomes of the testing can help you form questions and plan next steps. The goal of tumor profiling is to improve patient care by doing some or all of the following:
- Detect biological mutations susceptible to a targeted therapy, which is a drug specifically designed to use the mutation against the cancer
- Identify clinical trials for patients according to features of their profile
- Find markers that more precisely describe the diagnosis so there is more guidance to the care team about how to treat it
- Evaluate whether the case is likely to be more or less severe than standard cases
Mutations found should be useful for at least one of the four purposes above. The great majority of our profiles are positive for at least one mutation, and most are positive for more than one.
Possible drawbacks to consider are:
- There is a chance that no new or extra action plan can be created from the test results
- Some preserved tumor samples are too small to provide enough tissue to complete the testing. This is rarely an issue with blood or bone marrow, though those samples can be damaged during storage or transport to the lab
- Clinical trials may not be open for all patients and all results, or clinical trial centers may be too far away
- Insurance may not fully cover the testing, and patients may have co-payments. If this is the case, we offer a wide range of financial assistance options; see our Billing page for more information
Testing is complex, but NeoGenomics has been successfully providing high-complexity testing to oncologists and pathologists across the United States for over 20 years. We are a responsive, nimble company, and we adapt our profiles quickly to new research and changes in medical and clinical guidelines.
An important advantage for our patients is that NeoGenomics performs all major test methods in our own laboratories. We have expertise in many types of testing; we are not restricted and can choose the best combination of methods for our profiles. This means that our tests are built to get the most from small specimens, to be conservative with costs, and to save our clients and patients precious time.
We have a broad network of insurance contract and value-based relationships to provide patients with exceptional in-network and cost-effective services. If you receive a denial letter, an explanation of benefits, or a bill, we are here to help. See our financial assistance offerings on our Billing page.
When your provider orders testing from NeoGenomics, we must request and/or wait to receive the specimen for testing. Upon receiving the specimen, we process the sample immediately and provide results back to your provider in the form of a report.
Our report includes information about abnormalities found, important markers that were found to be normal, whether the results help define your diagnosis more specifically, what the results might predict for severity, classes of drug therapies that may have an impact against your cancer, and any clinical trials you and your provider may want to consider.
We bill insurance or Medicare for most of this testing; a portion of it may be billed to the hospital in some cases. You may want to refer to the “Billing for cancer testing” section for more information.
For lung, colorectal, breast, and other solid tumor cancers, we use part of the tissue removed during your biopsy or surgery. Most of the time, we work with tissue already removed for other reasons, not from a procedure done just for this test. Your doctor’s test order authorizes us to obtain this preserved tissue from the hospital or other laboratory where it was collected or last studied.
For cancers of the blood or bone marrow, we test a small sample of newly collected blood or bone marrow. Whether your doctor collects a blood sample or requires a bone marrow aspiration in these cases depends on the disease and your individual circumstances.
We offer mobile phlebotomy (blood draw) for select tests. A physician order is required. For more information, please review our Mobile Phlebotomy Info Sheet.
Yes. Medical record requests must be made in writing. You can download our convenient form to get started. For assistance, please call 866.776.5907, Option 9, or email us at patients@neogenomics.com.
Based on the tumor profiling needs, there are different types of testing panels ranging from highly focused to comprehensive. Highly focused cancer testing profiles typically analyze a few genes specific to that cancer type. They are used more often for certain cancer types, such as lung cancer or colon cancer. Comprehensive cancer profiling tests look at hundreds of genes for diverse (or pan-cancer) solid tumors.
