# Tempus Tempus runs genomic tests on tumor tissue, blood and saliva to help guide treatment, check for inherited risk and monitor for remaining cancer. Your doctor orders the test. Author: Kevin Wimer Canonical URL: https://kevinwimer.com/companies/tempus/ Stable ID: 5c806cbb-c7b3-443a-8a44-e0e6c559a196 Revision: f829e1b5-e6cc-4543-9838-0d698b29de29 Published: 2026-10-25T03:12:58.825Z Updated: 2026-10-25T03:12:58.825Z Reviewed: 2026-10-22 ## Who this is for For people with cancer whose doctors want genomic profiling, MRD monitoring or hereditary testing. Your doctor orders the test. Tempus runs genomic tests on cancer: tumor and blood profiling, inherited-risk panels, and tests that watch for leftover disease. Your doctor picks and orders the test. ## What they do - **Tumor profiling.** xT CDx sequences 648 genes in tumor tissue and compares them with a normal blood or saliva sample, which separates tumor changes from inherited ones. xR adds RNA to find fusions. - **Blood profiling.** xF and xF+ use a blood draw. If there isn't enough tissue, an xT CDx order can switch to xF+. - **Monitoring.** xM tests look for traces of cancer in the blood after treatment (MRD). - **Inherited risk.** CancerNext panels use blood or saliva. xT CDx is an FDA companion diagnostic for certain colorectal cancer drugs. Tempus also runs trial matching with cancer centers, including its TIME Trial program. ## Who it's for People with cancer whose doctors want genomic testing, monitoring or hereditary testing. ## How to start Your doctor orders it through Tempus's portal, a paper form or the electronic health record. ## Cost and insurance As of October 2026, any U.S. patient can apply for Tempus's financial assistance, whatever their insurance. You get a decision right away, including your maximum out-of-pocket cost. It's based on household income, size and other circumstances. Tempus's posted transparency policy lists a $295 self-pay price, and says Tempus contacts you if you'll likely owe more than that. Original Medicare and Medicaid patients can't self-pay and typically owe $0. Results aren't processed until you pay or show proof of insurance. I'd confirm the current price for your test with Tempus billing first. ## Questions I would ask 1. Tissue, blood, or both? 2. Should we add RNA testing for fusions? 3. Will this show inherited findings, and who explains them? 4. What will I owe, and should I apply for assistance now? 5. Can I get the full report and raw data? ## Similar companies on this site [Caris](/companies/caris-life-sciences/) and [BostonGene](/companies/bostongene/) also profile tumors. BostonGene, like Tempus, compares the tumor with a normal sample. [Guardant Health](/companies/guardant-health/) is known for blood testing. See [Get the right tumor testing](/resources/tumor-testing/) and [Find trials worth asking about](/resources/clinical-trials/). ## Contacts - Website: [tempus.com/patients](https://www.tempus.com/patients/) - Financial assistance: [access.tempus.com](https://access.tempus.com/) - Billing and coverage: [Transparency policy](https://www.tempus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tempus-NP_Transparency-Policy.pdf) · billing@tempus.com - Phone: 800-739-4137 · Customer Success 312-598-9961 (call or text) - Email: patients@tempus.com · support@tempus.com ## Limits and context Financial assistance is for U.S. patients; international patients can use self-pay. Confirm the price for your specific test with Tempus billing before testing. ## Relationships and disclosures I have no financial or business relationship with Tempus. ## Sources - [Tempus: oncology patient resources](https://www.tempus.com/patients/) — Tempus; official; checked 2026-10-22; Disease monitoring (MRD), biomarker testing (xT CDx, xT, xR, xF, xF+), hereditary testing (CancerNext); your doctor orders the test; financial assistance for all U.S. patients; contacts. - [Tempus: oncology test portfolio](https://www.tempus.com/oncology/genomic-profiling/) — Tempus; official; checked 2026-10-22; Full test menu including hereditary panels, MRD assays, xT CDx 648-gene panel; ordering via Tempus Hub/EHR; clinical trial matching programs; financial assistance steps. - [Tempus xT CDx and xR](https://www.tempus.com/solutions/xt-cdx/) — Tempus; official; checked 2026-10-22; 648-gene tumor plus matched normal test; xR RNA-seq for fusions; auto-conversion to xF+ if tissue is insufficient; ordering options; financial assistance. - [Tempus transparency policy](https://www.tempus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tempus-NP_Transparency-Policy.pdf) — Tempus; official; checked 2026-10-22; Self-pay price $295; benefits check and contact if expected cost exceeds $295; Medicare/Medicaid rules; payment or proof of insurance before results are processed. - [FDA: list of cleared or approved companion diagnostic devices](https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/in-vitro-diagnostics/list-cleared-or-approved-companion-diagnostic-devices-in-vitro-and-imaging-tools) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration; official; checked 2026-10-22; Lists Tempus xT CDx (P210011, 04/28/2023) as a companion diagnostic for KRAS/NRAS wild-type colorectal cancer therapies. Organization website: https://www.tempus.com/ Information/access: [Information for patients](https://www.tempus.com/patients/) Service status: available ## Company facts - **Tests:** Tumor profiling (xT CDx, xT, xR RNA), blood profiling (xF, xF+), MRD monitoring and hereditary cancer panels. (Sources: tempus-patients, tempus-portfolio) - **Samples:** Tumor tissue with a matched normal blood or saliva sample for xT CDx; blood for xF and MRD; blood or saliva for hereditary tests. (Sources: tempus-xtcdx, tempus-patients) - **FDA status:** xT CDx is FDA-approved, with companion diagnostic claims for colorectal cancer. (Sources: fda-cdx, tempus-xtcdx) - **Ordering:** Your doctor orders through Tempus Hub, a paper form or the electronic health record. (Sources: tempus-xtcdx, tempus-patients) - **Cost:** As of October 2026: posted self-pay price $295 (not for Original Medicare or Medicaid patients, who typically owe $0). Any U.S. patient can apply for financial assistance at access.tempus.com. (Sources: tempus-pricing, tempus-patients) Topics: tumor-testing Capabilities: tumor-testing, blood-monitoring Related record IDs: 47f21cb6-8618-4ac9-8677-d670b06a4637, 2614018f-a950-44fe-a445-09fc42bd6342, eedb734b-9696-4e66-bf29-5c63cbf6a3ba, f7221927-6b87-4be3-9a7c-906768a192a5, bcbf518f-872e-434c-b031-3d6c266ceaa4 Follow Kevin on X: https://x.com/kevinace Educational information, not an individualized treatment recommendation.