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'At home' genomic tests for disease risk premature
Date:3/18/2008

NEW YORK, MARCH 18, 2008--The recent marketing of at home genomic tests for disease risk may be premature, according to Dr. Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Health professionals are now faced with the prospect of their patients coming to the office, a DNA profile in hand, asking for preventative management tailored to their specific disease risks, Dr. Offit writes in the March 19 special genomics issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

In recent years, more than two dozen companies have been marketing a range of genetic tests directly to consumers concerned about genetic conditions. These conditions include those related to risks for disease, other genetic traits, and ancestry. Some of these companies have marketed whole genome scans, which provide assessments of risk for various health conditions ranging from the type of earwax an individual forms to his or her risks for diseases including cancer, diabetes, and blindness.

In his JAMA commentary, Dr Offit offers several caveats and recommendations to help doctors and counselors as they consider offering these research-based tests in clinical practice. Dr Offit voices concerns about the scientific accuracy of some of these tests, because they have not yet been validated in forward looking (prospective) clinical studies. In addition, he writes, the laboratory accuracy of these tests may vary.

A second concern voiced in the commentary is the direct to consumer aspect of the marketing of these tests, which excludes guidance from healthcare professionals. According to Dr. Offit, this limits the sources of information available to consumers about these tests and their accuracy from those marketing the tests. This critical lack of information, he says, raises concerns that patients/individuals may not have the resources to make unbiased decisions regarding whether to proceed with genetic testing.


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Contact: Jeanne D'Agostino
DAgostiJ@mskcc.org
212-639-3573
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Source:Eurekalert

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