DNA Testing for Breast Cancer: In the News
This year, the topic of direct-to-consumer genetic testing has been highly discussed and debated in the media. A previous post discusses the different types of genetic testing available to consumers today. At particular issue is the actions or behavioral changes someone might make after learning about his or her health risks and predispositions via a DNA test, potentially without the advice of a doctor.
With October being breast cancer awareness month, the media’s attention has turned to DNA testing for breast cancer-related genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2. Some companies have started to market this directly to consumers, according to this MSNBC article. In reviewing the services offered to the public, the writer notes that more than 200,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in 2007, of which about 20,000 were determined to be connected to the BRCA genes. A DNA test for these genes, therefore, only applies to a small percentage of breast cancer cases. The article suggests that “only women who have a strong family history of breast cancer — two or more parents, grandparents or siblings who have developed the disease — need to talk to their doctor or a genetic counselor about the value of any form of genetic testing.”
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on Thursday, October 9th, 2008 at 8:07 am and is filed under DNA Testing, Other DNA Tests.
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October 9th, 2008 at 8:28 am
A detail, but an important one: The DeCode-test mentioned in the MSNBC article does not test for BRCA1/2-They use seven other SNP’s that they claim to be related to risk of developing breast cancer. From their blog: “The deCODE BreastCancer™ test measures seven widely replicated single-letter variations (SNPs) in the human genome that deCODE and others have linked to risk of breast cancer. These SNPs contribute to the incidence of an estimated 60 percent of all breast cancers.”