Scenarios To Consider When Thinking About Genetic Testing
Consider the following situations with regard to genetic testing.
1.
Using your family tree, you realize that colon cancer runs in your family.
Knowing that the mortality rate for colon cancer is quite high, would you be tested for specific colon cancer genes (note: these genes do not guarantee colon cancer but do indicate greater risk)? If you received genetic testing and found out about the potential risks you were at, it would be much easier to take precautionary measures and protect you and your family from future risk rather than depending on luck.
What factors would affect your decision? 2.
You, as a female (or a female you care about, if you are a male), carry the breast cancer gene BRCA1 or BRCA2, or you have a family history of breast cancer.
Would you consider a mastectomy to try to make sure the disease does not develop? This has been shown to be effective therapy, reducing risk of breast cancer and death by 90%.
However, even some high-risk women never actually develop the disease.
You're much less likely to take action if you don't even know whether or not you are at risk...
Genetic testing can at least make you aware of your potential risk - afterwards, you will probably definitely take steps to heal if you can.
3.
You and your (future) spouse would like to have children.
You know that phenylketonuria has occurred in your family and you would like to be tested as a carrier.
It turns out that both you and your spouse carry the gene for phenylketonuria.
Any offspring have a 1 in 4 chance of developing the disease.
How would this affect your decision to have a child? Would you be more or less likely to have a child? Would you be indifferent? Would it be better if you knew the risks? Some experts recommend that anyone considering genetic testing should first undergo genetic counseling.
Genetic counselors are trained to analyze family history and evaluate risk of developing or passing along an inherited disease.
They can also help determine whether testing is worth the time and trouble, since genetic tests are primarily for people whose family history puts them at especially high risk of having a genetic defect.
If the genetic counselor deems that it is not necessary for you to be genetically tested, then you may not have to consider it at all.
Genetic counselors can be found by contacting a local hospital or nearby university-affiliated hospital or medical school.
1.
Using your family tree, you realize that colon cancer runs in your family.
Knowing that the mortality rate for colon cancer is quite high, would you be tested for specific colon cancer genes (note: these genes do not guarantee colon cancer but do indicate greater risk)? If you received genetic testing and found out about the potential risks you were at, it would be much easier to take precautionary measures and protect you and your family from future risk rather than depending on luck.
What factors would affect your decision? 2.
You, as a female (or a female you care about, if you are a male), carry the breast cancer gene BRCA1 or BRCA2, or you have a family history of breast cancer.
Would you consider a mastectomy to try to make sure the disease does not develop? This has been shown to be effective therapy, reducing risk of breast cancer and death by 90%.
However, even some high-risk women never actually develop the disease.
You're much less likely to take action if you don't even know whether or not you are at risk...
Genetic testing can at least make you aware of your potential risk - afterwards, you will probably definitely take steps to heal if you can.
3.
You and your (future) spouse would like to have children.
You know that phenylketonuria has occurred in your family and you would like to be tested as a carrier.
It turns out that both you and your spouse carry the gene for phenylketonuria.
Any offspring have a 1 in 4 chance of developing the disease.
How would this affect your decision to have a child? Would you be more or less likely to have a child? Would you be indifferent? Would it be better if you knew the risks? Some experts recommend that anyone considering genetic testing should first undergo genetic counseling.
Genetic counselors are trained to analyze family history and evaluate risk of developing or passing along an inherited disease.
They can also help determine whether testing is worth the time and trouble, since genetic tests are primarily for people whose family history puts them at especially high risk of having a genetic defect.
If the genetic counselor deems that it is not necessary for you to be genetically tested, then you may not have to consider it at all.
Genetic counselors can be found by contacting a local hospital or nearby university-affiliated hospital or medical school.
Source...