NBC News Just Broke a Story Every DCIS Patient Should Know About

NBC News just gave an update on Medicare’s coverage decision for DCISionRT. It isn’t good news for patients.

On July 17, Medicare could reverse coverage for the genomic test that helps women with Stage Zero breast cancer understand whether they’ll personally benefit from radiation. The decision reaches 28 states, roughly half of the women in the Medicare program. And it comes despite six of the seven physicians who reviewed the evidence recommending Medicare keep covering it.

I didn’t find out this test existed until after I’d already been through radiation myself. Twenty sessions. Crushing fatigue. Extreme skin burns. Once I realized a genomic test existed that could have told me how much I’d actually benefit from that radiation, I started telling everyone I could about it. That work led me to partner with PreludeDx, the makers of DCISionRT, as a patient advocate. In 2024, through that partnership, I finally got my own DCISionRT score: a 2.3 out of 10, low benefit from radiation, five years after the decision had already been made. Knowing what I know now about what radiation is really like, I would definitely get DCISionRT if I were diagnosed with DCIS again.

When this coverage decision first came to light last year, I was able to speak with decision makers during the policy meeting and started a petition to raise awareness. You can read more about that in this post: DCIS Biomarker Testing at Risk.

This issue isn’t closed, and I’m so grateful to NBC News for this timely update.

This is a step backward, and it’s something we all need to raise our voices about. Cancer patients deserve coverage for the most advanced tests available.

The decision may not stop with Medicare. Private insurers often follow Medicare’s coverage decisions, meaning millions of women across the country could lose access to personalized care.

If you were diagnosed with breast cancer tomorrow, wouldn’t you want every available tool to help you make that decision?