Genetics in The Jewish Standard
The latest issue of the New Jersey Jewish Standard has a series of three articles focusing on DIY genetic testing.
- The Gene Scene by Judy Foreman
- Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing: Let the Buyer Beware by Dr. Miryam Wahrman
- Where to Find Genetic Testing by Dr. Miryam Wahrman
The flavor of the articles is distinctly conservative with strong cautions against direct-to-consumer DNA testing.
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Good stuff, Hsien. With regard to BRCA1 and 2, the discovery of all the different mutations has led us into extremely murky waters, as you know, and I think it goes beyond whether a direct-to-consumer genetic test is accompanied by professional counseling. It’s no longer a question of BRCA positive vs. negative; now we have to make judgments about the significance of any of hundreds of mutations, not only in and of themselves but in the context of all of the other breast cancer risk factors we know about. I’m sure you’re more up on this than I am; is it fair to say that the data we have on those individual mutations are just too thin to draw firm conclusions about risk?
Emily: While it’s true that there are many possibly mutations within BRCA1 and 2 and other genes involved in breast and ovarian cancers, there are a few genetic variants that account for the majority of hereditary cases. No genetic test will ever be able to predict the risk of disease 100% of the time but any good genetic counselor will be able to give the patient a feel for how dependable the results are.