Biomarker testing: questions to ask your care team

Pathology reports answer some questions and leave others open. Families often see a diagnosis and assume every relevant marker was already checked. That is not always true, and it is not something to guess about.

The useful move is to ask the care team whether biomarker or genomic testing is recommended for this type of cancer, and how results could affect options, including clinical trials.

Keep the questions short. You are not asking the internet to choose a test. You are asking the people who know the case.

• Was molecular or genomic testing ordered on this sample?
• If it was ordered, when should we expect a patient copy of the report?
• If it was not ordered, is it recommended for this situation, and who decides?
• Is leftover tissue available if more testing is discussed later?

This article is educational and guideline-informed. It is not a licensed guideline excerpt. Clinical reviewer: pending named reviewer. Review date: 2026-10-06. Next review due: 2027-01-06.