AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH 47
many cases of an uncommon or rare type of cancer
(such as kidney cancer);
members diagnosed with cancers at younger ages
than usual (such as colon cancer in a 20-year-old);
one or more members who have more than one
type of cancer (such as a female relative with
both breast and ovarian cancer); and
one or more members with cancers in both of a pair of
organs (such as both eyes, both kidneys, or both breasts);
more than one childhood cancer in a set of siblings
(such as sarcoma in both a brother and a sister);
members with a type of cancer usually occurring
in the opposite sex (such as breast cancer
in a man).
HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM AT HIGH RISK
FOR DEVELOPING AN INHERITED CANCER?
Among the factors to consider are whether, in your family, there is one or more of the following:
Adapted from: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/geneticsandcancer/heredity-and-cancer.
Potential Benefits
of Using DTC Genetic Tests
These tests may encourage
and empower consumers
to take a proactive role
in their health care.
Potential Risks of Using
DTC Genetic Tests
These tests may mislead or
misinform people about
their health status.
DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER GENETIC TESTING
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests are marketed directly to consumers, in contrast to tests
that are ordered by a physician for a patient. This growing form of testing, also known as at-home
testing, allows a consumer or patient to obtain access to his or her genetic information without
necessarily involving a doctor or insurance company in the process. Below are a number
of important facts about DTC genetic tests.
Because of the complexities of such tests, both the FDA and Federal Trade Commission recommend
involving a health care professional in any decision to use DTC testing, as well as to interpret the results.
Adapted from ( 24)
DTC Genetic Tests and the FDA
DTC tests that claim to provide only information such as a person’s ancestry
or genealogy are not regulated by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In February 2015, however, the FDA authorized marketing of the first DTC genetic
test: 23andMe’s Bloom Syndrome carrier test. This test can help determine whether
a healthy person has a variant in a gene that could lead to his or her children
inheriting this serious disorder.
APPROVED
