For patients
Testing process

Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score® testing process 

Learn about the testing process, which typically takes place while you’re recovering from your biopsy or surgery.
A couple talking to a doctor and smiling at each other.

What to expect once your doctor orders your test.

The Breast Recurrence Score® test uses tumor tissue that’s already been removed from your breast during your biopsy or during surgery.

Step 1

Your doctor sends in your tumor sample

Test samples sitting on a table in the Exact Sciences lab.
Since your tissue has already been collected, there’s no need for you to undergo any additional procedures.

Step 2

The lab analyzes your sample and sends back your results

An Exact Sciences lab technician working with a microscope.
Once it has arrived at our lab, the tissue is tested to measure the activity of cancer-related genes in your tumor tissue.

Step 3

You and your doctor discuss your results

Two women talking to a doctor.
Your test results will reveal how likely your tumor is to return in another part of your body and the likelihood that you will benefit from chemotherapy. Learn more about your test results.

Step 4

Billing

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We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible, no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make. The Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test is covered by Medicare and many major insurance plans. Learn more here.
A woman standing talking to a doctor with a tablet.

Talking to your doctor

Our Doctor Discussion Guide can help you prepare for a conversation with your doctor on the benefits of knowing your risk and if chemotherapy is necessary. The guide includes questions like:

If I am a candidate for the Breast Recurrence Score test, how could we use the test results to develop my treatment plan?
What are my treatment options? What do you suggest for me and why? How do I know if I truly need chemotherapy? 
Is it okay to wait a few weeks to consider my treatment plan options before I have to make a decision about treatment?
The Breast Recurrence Score test is well covered

86% of patients paid $0

91% paid less than $100*

*This calculation includes patients with Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Managed Medicaid, and commercial insurance. Patients with high-deductible plans may receive a bill for most or all the cost of the Breast Recurrence Score test if they have not satisfied their deductible. The numbers cited are based on historical patient billing data from 1/2/2024 to 12/31/2024. Rates of coverage vary by state and region. Exceptions for coverage may apply. Exact Sciences strongly encourages your patient to contact their insurer with questions about Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test coverage.

Real people. Real stories. Real results.

See how patients with invasive breast cancer used their Recurrence Score results to help inform their treatment plan.
Katherine in ski gear smiling on a snowy slope.

Katherine Y.

“This test helped me decide -- and survive”

Katherine pushed to get more information about her recurrence risk 20 years ago. What she learned helped guide her treatment decisions. Now, she wants others to do the same.

Node-negative invasive breast cancer
Recurrence Score result: 18
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Katherine Y.

“I’m honored to have been the first commercial test patient 20 years ago”

Node-negative invasive breast cancer
Recurrence Score® result: 18
Katherine and her husband sitting on a couch smiling at the camera.

Katherine’s diagnosis

In 2003, Katherine, a 53-year-old podiatrist found a lump in her breast during a self-examination. After multiple rounds of tests and a double mastectomy to remove her invasive breast cancer, Katherine had to choose whether to get chemotherapy to reduce the likelihood of her cancer recurring.

Her decision to test

As Katherine contemplated her decision, her husband learned about the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score® test, a new test that was coming onto the market. Katherine’s physician had heard about the test but didn’t think that it would be available for a couple of years. They made a deal that if she did the legwork in researching when the test would become available, and he determined that it was appropriate for her management, he would order it for her. In the meantime, standard assessments of Katherine’s tumor indicated that chemotherapy would be necessary. She reached out to Genomic Health, now part of Exact Sciences, to see when it would be available.

In January 2004, Katherine became the first commercial customer to use the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test and learned she had a Recurrence Score result of 18, indicating that she may not benefit from chemotherapy and could proceed with an aromatase inhibitor alone for her treatment.

20 years later

Katherine and her husband are now both retired and are certified ski instructors. They enjoy going for bike rides, long walks in the beautiful sierras and spending time together with their dog, Critter.
This story reflects one individual’s experience. Not every person will have the same treatment, experience, or outcome. Talk to your health care provider about whether this test may be right for you.

Ellie T.†

“This test gave me the assurance that I needed chemotherapy.”

Ellie got results she didn’t want to hear, but the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score test helped her be confident about her decision to move forward with chemotherapy.

Node-negative invasive breast cancer
Recurrence Score result: 31
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Ellie T.*

The confidence to move forward with treatment

Node-negative invasive breast cancer
Recurrence Score® result: 31
Ellie sitting on a bench in front of a meadow.

Ellie's diagnosis

Ellie was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 48 years old. Given that she was young, had no family history, and received regular mammograms, the news came as quite a shock.

She began noticing what she now realizes were early symptoms nearly a year before her diagnosis, which she and her doctor attributed to her new workout regime. It wasn’t until Ellie felt a hard lump that she knew she needed to get tested for breast cancer.

Ellie often felt like others would try to reassure her by saying "don't worry because most of the time it's benign, or not serious..." at each step of her journey. However, at each step, Ellie’s results were the opposite of what she wanted to hear. For example, her doctor still needed cleaner margins after her first surgery, so she had to undergo a second surgery.

Her decision to test

Ellie first discovered the Oncotype DX Breast Recurrence Score® test when a friend mentioned it shortly after she was diagnosed. Once she had her first surgery, she decided to ask her doctor for it. Ellie’s doctor shared her results with her while she was in pre-op for her second surgery. Her Recurrence Score result was 31, meaning that the best treatment path for her would be chemotherapy.

Moving forward with chemo

Following her second surgery, Ellie and her doctor moved forward with four rounds of chemotherapy for twelve weeks as well as anastrozole to treat her cancer.

Ellie wants to share her story because she wants others to know the lesser-known side of the story, that genomic testing can help inform your decision to get chemotherapy, not just to forgo it. In her case, her Recurrence Score result of 31 provided her reassurance that chemotherapy would be an essential part of her treatment regime.

Today, Ellie is feeling good and sees the doctor every six months for a check-in. She continues her career as a lawyer and resides happily with her husband in Middletown, DE.

This story reflects one individual’s experience. Not every person will have the same treatment, experience, or outcome. Talk to your health care provider about whether this test may be right for you.

References

  1. Ellie is related to an Exact Sciences employee
Ellie sitting at a desk with papers and files.

Have questions?

Call us at 1 866-662-6897.

References

  • Ellie is related to an Exact Sciences employee