Check out your risk for breast or colon cancer before considering genetic testing
Having just completed a colonscopy--I was told that Medicare doesn't pay for the procedure and I'll be going on Medicare in a few months--I was naturally glad to hear that I am "normal".
Wondering what factors other than genetics might affect my susceptibility to colon cancer, I was immediately interested in an article from KSL.com, the website of my local newspaper. I won't send you to the article, because it leaves out the most important information--how to find the website with the "new web-based program [that] can help you find out if you should seek out genetic testing."
I checked out the Dana Farber link (www.yourdiseaserisk.harvard.edu) and found an interesting test for colon cancer--and others for breast cancer, heart disease, etc. I took the colon cancer test and found that my risk is below average. The test also told me what to do to decrease my risk. However, since there was essentially no mention of genetics, I may not have found the right site.
We'll see if anyone responds to my question to KSL. If I find out more, I'll let you know.
Marie Godfrey, PhD
What are the consequences?
Marie,
I just read a book called "The Odyssey Gene" where the author, Kfir Luzzatto, foreshadows the possible consequences of genetic testing. In the book, the lead character, John, takes a routine test to learn that he is immune to a contagious disease that once threatened to decimate the population. However, in this futuristic book, this information is seen as being negative and he is discriminated against and ultimately ousted from society.
What are the real implications of such science when it comes to not only society, but employers and health care providers?