# BostonGene

Tumor Portrait sequences your tumor's DNA and RNA and compares it with your normal DNA from saliva, a cheek swab or blood. Your doctor orders it. In October 2026 my cost was $4,500 out of pocket.

Author: Kevin Wimer
Canonical URL: https://kevinwimer.com/companies/bostongene/
Stable ID: 2614018f-a950-44fe-a445-09fc42bd6342
Revision: 11f1a584-32b8-4d4d-8530-0e168a329ba2
Published: 2026-10-23T00:00:15.301Z
Updated: 2026-10-23T02:28:08.787Z
Reviewed: 2026-10-22

## Who this is for
For people with advanced solid tumors comparing broad tumor testing options with their care team. Inclusion is not a recommendation or a finding that it is right for your cancer.

BostonGene's main patient test, Tumor Portrait, sequences your tumor's DNA and RNA and compares it with your normal DNA from saliva, a cheek swab or blood. It's built for advanced solid tumors. Your doctor orders it, and the report goes to them.

## What it reads

- **Tumor DNA.** Whole exome sequencing: mutations, copy number changes, tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite status (MSI). BostonGene's site says 19,000+ genes; its 2024 brochure says more than 22,000.
- **Your normal DNA.** The same sequencing on spit, a cheek swab or blood. Comparing the two separates what's in the tumor from what you were born with, so it can also report inherited findings, like BRCA1/2, that may matter to your blood relatives.
- **Tumor RNA.** Whole transcriptome sequencing. This is where gene fusions show up (ALK, ROS1, RET, NTRK and others), and it shows which genes the tumor is actually using.

The report also lists matched treatments, recruiting trials, and a tumor microenvironment type. That last one is BostonGene's own method for estimating how likely immunotherapy is to work.

## How it works

1. Your oncologist signs the order and sends your insurance card, a recent note and the pathology report. You sign a consent form.
2. BostonGene requests the tumor block from the pathology lab that holds it. Tell your doctor which biopsy you want used. The most recent one is usually best.
3. You give the normal sample. A saliva kit can come to your house, or a cheek swab or blood draw can be done at a clinic.
4. Results go to your doctor. Ask for a copy of the full report.

## Sample requirements

- **Tissue:** one block, or 10 unstained slides plus an H&E slide, under 5 years old. At least 40,000 tumor cells, more than 20% tumor and more than 5 mm². The lab can cut out the tumor-rich areas (microdissection) when needed.
- **Saliva:** nothing to eat, drink, smoke or chew for 30 minutes first. Ship it by FedEx the same day.
- **Not accepted:** after a stem cell or bone marrow transplant. Saliva isn't accepted within 4 weeks of a whole blood transfusion.

## Timing

BostonGene's 2024 brochure says 10 to 12 days after it has both samples. When I ordered in October 2026, I was told about 3 weeks. Ask when you order.

## Cost and insurance

- **My cost (October 2026): $4,500** out of pocket. As of October 2026, BostonGene doesn't publish a list price, so yours may differ. It says it offers a discounted self-pay rate and payment plans.
- In network with Medicare, which covers it for advanced or recurrent solid tumors when you're seeking more treatment and haven't had the same testing already (per the 2024 order form).
- Out of network with private insurers. Your out-of-network benefits decide what you pay. Billing codes are CPT 81455 and 88381.
- Testing doesn't pause for a pending prior authorization. If you want to wait for a decision, your doctor has to say so before the samples arrive.
- Financial assistance is open to U.S. residents, with decisions in 1 to 2 business days, covering tests for 18 months. You can apply before or after testing.

## Credentials and evidence

The Waltham, Massachusetts lab holds a CLIA certificate (22D2182613, through May 2027), a New York State permit (PFI 9637, through June 2027) and, per BostonGene, CAP accreditation. I found no FDA approval or clearance for Tumor Portrait, and it isn't on FDA's companion diagnostic list. Like many tumor sequencing tests, it's offered as a lab test.

BostonGene's own scientists published a validation in *Communications Medicine* (2025) on 2,230 tumor samples. Adding RNA caught fusions and variants that DNA alone missed. Useful, but it's not an independent comparison with other tests.

## My experience

![The BostonGene saliva kit that came to my house](/media/d6491f18-5564-44a4-9427-434601d10761)

I have ALK-positive lung cancer. In October 2026 I ordered BostonGene testing on tissue from a July biopsy, with a saliva kit mailed to my house. An earlier attempt to sequence that tissue didn't have enough tumor to read. BostonGene can microdissect the tumor-rich areas, so the tissue got a second shot.

What I was told when I ordered: a pass or fail on tumor content about 24 hours after the tissue arrived, results in about 3 weeks if it passed, and no bill if it failed. My cost was $4,500 out of pocket.

My opinion, not medical advice: if you can get your tumor sequenced, do it. When a drug stops working, knowing the exact change behind it can open a door to a trial built for it. Talk it through with your oncologist.

## Before you order, ask

1. Which biopsy will be used, and is there enough tumor in it?
2. What will I owe, and should I apply for financial assistance first?
3. Will you report inherited findings, and who will explain them?
4. Can I get the full report, and the raw data if I need it later?

## Contacts

- Website: [bostongene.com/patients](https://bostongene.com/patients/)
- Financial assistance: [BostonGene financial assistance](https://bostongene.com/patients/bostongene-financial-assistance)
- Billing and coverage: [Commercial insurance patient guide](https://bostongene.com/assets/BostonGene-commercial-insurance-patient-guide_[09.25.2026].pdf) · billing@bostongene.com
- Phone: +1 781-552-3131
- Email: clientservices@bostongene.com

## Limits and context
Service details are reported by BostonGene unless noted, and some come from a 2024 order form that may have changed. This is a lab test; I found no FDA approval or clearance. Confirm current access, requirements and costs directly. A company profile does not establish clinical benefit. My experience reflects what I was told when I ordered in October 2026.

## Relationships and disclosures
I'm a paying patient. I have no other financial or business relationship with BostonGene.

## Sources
- [Tumor Portrait test](https://www.bostongene.com/providers/tumor-portrait) — BostonGene; official; checked 2026-10-22; Tumor DNA, normal DNA and tumor RNA design; advanced solid tumors; covered cancer types; report contents; ordering; tissue retrieval from pathology.
- [Information for patients](https://bostongene.com/patients/) — BostonGene; official; checked 2026-10-22; Physician orders; two samples; home saliva kit or clinic sample; results to the physician.
- [Tumor Portrait brochure (July 2024)](https://bostongene.com/assets/BostonGene-Tumor-Portrait-test-[07.23.2024].pdf) — BostonGene; official; checked 2026-10-22; 10 to 12 day turnaround after both samples arrive; more than 22,000 genes; inherited findings.
- [Saliva kit requirements (June 2026)](https://bostongene.com/assets/BostonGene_Saliva_sample_requirements_[06.30.2026]-1782814070.pdf) — BostonGene; official; checked 2026-10-22; Saliva collection steps, 30-minute rule, same-day FedEx, transfusion and transplant exclusions.
- [Tissue sample requirements (June 2026)](https://bostongene.com/assets/BostonGene-FFPE-sample-requirements_[06.30.2026]-1782812194.pdf) — BostonGene; official; checked 2026-10-22; Tissue block or slides, under 5 years old, tumor cell and tumor content minimums.
- [Test requisition form (January 2024)](https://bostongene.com/assets/pdf_forms/BostonGene-TRF-standard_[01.11.2024].pdf) — BostonGene; official; checked 2026-10-22; Medicare coverage criteria, consent terms, microdissection, transplant exclusion. Older form; may have changed.
- [Financial assistance](https://bostongene.com/patients/bostongene-financial-assistance) — BostonGene; official; checked 2026-10-22; Medicare in network, bills insurance first, U.S. residents, 1 to 2 business day decisions, 18-month coverage, self-pay discount and payment plans.
- [Commercial insurance patient guide (Sept 2026)](https://bostongene.com/assets/BostonGene-commercial-insurance-patient-guide_[09.25.2026].pdf) — BostonGene; official; checked 2026-10-22; Not contracted with commercial insurers; CPT 81455 and 88381; prior authorization does not pause testing; CAP 8832984.
- [Forms, kit instructions and lab licenses](https://bostongene.com/news-and-publications/documents) — BostonGene; official; checked 2026-10-22; Index of current forms and state licenses.
- [New York State clinical laboratory permit](https://bostongene.com/assets/NYS-DoH-2026-Renewal-Permit.pdf) — BostonGene; official; checked 2026-10-22; PFI 9637, effective July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 (state permit, company-hosted copy).
- [CLIA 22D2182613 record](https://healthprovidersdata.com/hipaa/codes/CLIA_22D2182613.aspx) — HealthProvidersData; research; checked 2026-10-22; CLIA certificate of accreditation for the Waltham lab, effective through May 4, 2027 (third-party copy of CMS data).
- [FDA list of authorized companion diagnostics](https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/in-vitro-diagnostics/list-fda-authorized-companion-diagnostic-devices-in-vitro-and-imaging-tools) — U.S. FDA; research; checked 2026-10-22; No BostonGene entry as of the check date.
- [Clinical and analytical validation of a combined RNA and DNA exome assay (2025)](https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-025-00934-3) — Communications Medicine; research; checked 2026-10-22; 2,230 clinical tumor samples; RNA found fusions and variants DNA missed; 98% with an actionable finding. All authors are BostonGene employees.

Organization website: https://bostongene.com/

Information/access: [Information for patients](https://bostongene.com/patients/)

Service status: available

## Company facts
- **Samples:** Tumor tissue plus a normal sample from saliva, a cheek swab or blood. BostonGene requests the tissue from pathology. (Sources: patients, tumor-portrait)
- **Test:** Whole exome DNA of tumor and normal, plus whole transcriptome RNA of the tumor. (Sources: tumor-portrait)
- **Timing:** 10 to 12 days after both samples arrive, per a 2024 BostonGene brochure. (Sources: brochure)
- **Cost:** My cost (Oct 2026): $4,500 out of pocket. No published list price. In network with Medicare; out of network with private insurers. Financial assistance for U.S. residents. (Sources: financial, insurance-guide)
- **FDA status:** No FDA approval or clearance found. Lab holds CLIA and New York State credentials. (Sources: fda-cdx, clia, nys-permit)
- **Report:** Goes to the ordering physician through BostonGene's portal. (Sources: patients)

Topics: tumor-testing, samples
Capabilities: tumor-testing

Related record IDs: f7221927-6b87-4be3-9a7c-906768a192a5, 892119f9-0439-4e43-b467-66c99bc7be7c, af18cbc9-1c7f-4799-a763-3f53ba52b1fd

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Educational information, not an individualized treatment recommendation.