Today I attended a forum on genetic testing for the Massachusetts General Hospital’s weekly Breast Rounds (I do research in breast oncology at the MGH). This week’s lecture, presented by Joseph D. McInerney, the Director of the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics, considered various aspects of the new wave of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Genetic testing for specific gene markers1 has been available for many years, and the results are primarily used by doctors and genetic counselors to determine the relative risks of disease onset and/or recurrence. This information allows the healthcare team to plan a course of treatment or preventative measures for a patient under supervised, knowledgeable care.
However, unlike “traditional” genetic testing, the professional health world does not filter this new era of direct-to-consumer genetic testing before it reaches the “consumers” (read: patients). Sites such as 23andMe.com and Navigenics.com advertise that anyone can obtain a complete genetic profile for as little as $999, which will outline propensity for certain diseases, among other recreational identifiers, like food preference. A most important note about these sorts of health-related tests: the FDA … (Read the rest of this article »)