Psychiatric implications of cancer genetic testing

Implications of genetic testing for health policy.

Hemochromatosis: clinical implications of genetic testing.

Hemochromatosis is one of the most common genetic diseases affecting Canadians of European ancestry. However, too often this disease is diagnosed in people who do not have it and is missed in those who do. By the time a diagnosis is made on the basis of symptoms, irreversible organ damage has often occurred. A missense mutation (the C282Y cysteine-to-tyrosine substitution) on chromosome 6 of th...

Interest in genetic testing for modest changes in breast cancer risk: implications for SNP testing.

BACKGROUND Advances in genomics may eventually lead to 'personalized genetic medicine,' yet the clinical utility of predictive testing for modest changes in risk is unclear. We explored interest in genetic testing for genes related to modest changes in breast cancer risk in women at moderate to high risk for breast cancer. METHODS Women (n = 105) with a negative breast biopsy and ≥1 relative ...

MTHFR genetic testing: Controversy and clinical implications.

BACKGROUND A polymorphism is a variant within a gene that does not necessarily affect its function, unlike a pathogenic mutation. Genetic testing for two common polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene (MTHFR), 677C>T and 1298A>C, is being accessed by general practitioners (GPs) and alternative medicine practitioners (based on in-house records from referrals), and promoted ...

Genetic testing: psychological aspects and implications.

As the number of genes associated with inherited disease continues to grow, researchers and practitioners in behavioral medicine will encounter complex psychological issues faced by individuals at risk for these diseases. A review of the literature concerning prenatal, carrier, and predictive genetic testing suggests that the severity of psychological risks posed by research-based genetic testi...