Patient Guides
Patient guides
Plain-language guides for navigating cancer care — diagnosis, trials, second opinions, and patient rights. Every guide cites primary sources.
Paying for care
BRCA test cost: what patients pay in practice
BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic testing for hereditary cancer risk. Insurance coverage, ACA preventive-care rules, Medicare coverage criteria, and manufacturer affordability limits.
Apr 21, 2026
CAR-T therapy cost: list prices, total episode cost, and what Medicare pays
Kymriah, Yescarta, Breyanzi, and Abecma: list prices, total hospitalization cost, Medicare reimbursement, commercial insurance coverage, and patient assistance programs.
Apr 21, 2026
Chemotherapy cost: what Medicare pays and what patients owe
Annual Medicare spending for cancer drug therapy, how Part B and Part D cost-sharing works, regimen components that drive the bill, and where to find financial help.
Apr 21, 2026
Does insurance cover cancer second opinions?
Medicare, Medicare Advantage, commercial PPO, HMO, and self-insured plans all cover cancer second opinions with different rules. How coverage works under each plan type.
Apr 21, 2026
Does Medicare cover cancer treatment?
How Medicare Parts A, B, D, and Medicare Advantage cover cancer treatment. Deductibles, coinsurance, prior authorization, and the cost protections that apply to cancer patients.
Apr 21, 2026
Financial assistance for cancer patients: where to find help
Manufacturer patient-assistance programs, disease foundations, Medicare, and nonprofits that pay for cancer treatment. Concrete places to apply, eligibility rules, and how to start.
Apr 21, 2026
Genetic testing for cancer cost: germline vs tumor testing
Germline hereditary cancer panels and tumor molecular testing: what each costs, when insurance covers each, manufacturer affordability limits, and how to get tested.
Apr 21, 2026
How to appeal a cancer treatment denial
Step-by-step for appealing a denial of cancer treatment coverage: internal appeal, external review, peer-to-peer requests, state insurance commissioners, and common grounds for overturning denials.
Apr 21, 2026
Immunotherapy cost: Keytruda, Opdivo, and patient out-of-pocket
Checkpoint-inhibitor immunotherapy costs, Medicare spending per beneficiary, commercial insurance coverage rules, and manufacturer patient-assistance programs for modern immunotherapy drugs.
Apr 21, 2026
Medicare Advantage vs Original Medicare for cancer
Comparing Medicare Advantage and Original Medicare with Medigap for cancer care. Out-of-pocket caps, network restrictions, prior authorization, and what matters for expensive cancer regimens.
Apr 21, 2026
Medicare Part D vs Part B for cancer drugs
How Medicare categorizes cancer drugs between Part B and Part D, what each covers, different cost-sharing structures, and why the distinction matters for your bill.
Apr 21, 2026
Proton therapy cost and insurance coverage
Proton therapy typically costs two to three times more than conventional IMRT. Indications with established coverage, contested indications, and when Medicare and commercial insurers pay.
Apr 21, 2026
Radiation therapy cost: what to expect and how insurance covers it
Radiation therapy cost ranges by modality and cancer type, Medicare coverage rules, commercial insurance rules, and financial assistance for treatment courses.
Apr 21, 2026
Cancer second opinion cost: what major centers charge
Self-pay and insured rates for second opinions at MSKCC, MD Anderson, Dana-Farber, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic, and UCSF. Scope, turnaround, and virtual options.
Apr 21, 2026
Insurance coverage for clinical trials — what the ACA requires
Federal law requires most health plans to cover routine patient costs for qualifying clinical trials. What's covered, what isn't, and how to appeal a denial.
Apr 20, 2026
For caregivers
Understanding your diagnosis
Genetic testing for hereditary cancer (BRCA, Lynch syndrome, and more)
Who should get germline genetic testing for cancer risk, what BRCA and Lynch syndrome actually mean, what happens with a positive result, and how it differs from tumor biomarker testing.
Apr 21, 2026
Cancer biomarkers — EGFR, BRCA, HER2, MSI and why they matter
A plain-language explanation of the most common cancer biomarkers — what they mean, which cancers they apply to, and how they shape treatment decisions.
Apr 20, 2026
Cancer staging (TNM) — what the numbers mean
A plain-language explanation of the TNM staging system — what T, N, and M stand for and how they combine into Stages I, II, III, and IV.
Apr 19, 2026
How to read a cancer pathology report
A section-by-section guide to understanding a cancer pathology report — what each line means and which numbers matter most.
Apr 19, 2026
Getting care
How to get a cancer second opinion without a referral
Most top U.S. cancer centers accept self-referrals for second opinions. Documents to gather, how to request, insurance rules, and typical timelines.
Apr 21, 2026
Top cancer hospitals: objective data, not subjective rankings
Why patient-facing hospital rankings are unreliable. How to evaluate cancer centers using objective signals: NCI designation, CMS star ratings, SEER survival, and volume of care.
Apr 21, 2026
Virtual oncology second opinion: what to expect
How virtual second-opinion programs work at top U.S. cancer centers. What records to submit, typical cost, turnaround time, and how to choose between centers.
Apr 21, 2026
Clinical trials
How to read clinical trial eligibility criteria
What inclusion and exclusion criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov actually mean: performance status, biomarker requirements, prior therapy rules, and how to determine if you might qualify.
Apr 21, 2026
Clinical trial phases, explained
What Phase 1, 2, 3, and 4 mean in a cancer clinical trial — and how the phase should shape how you think about enrolling.
Apr 19, 2026
Understanding treatment
Newly diagnosed
Newly diagnosed with cancer: your first 48 hours
A practical checklist for the first two days after a cancer diagnosis. What to do, what to skip, who to call, and what to avoid researching online in panic.
Apr 21, 2026
Questions to ask your oncologist at the first appointment
A practical list of questions cancer patients (and their caregivers) should ask at the first oncology appointment — with the reasoning behind each.
Apr 19, 2026
Navigating care
How to pick an oncologist — what actually matters
The factors that reliably matter when choosing an oncologist (and the ones that don't) — volume, subspecialty match, communication, multidisciplinary care, and second opinions.
Apr 20, 2026
How to find a clinical trial for cancer (step-by-step)
A plain-language walkthrough of how to find and qualify for a cancer clinical trial — using ClinicalTrials.gov, your oncologist, and NCI-designated cancer centers.
Apr 19, 2026