2022 Paint the Paper Pink

Page 50 2022 PAINT THE PAPER PINK Lincoln Daily News Oct/Nov 2022 For more about this kind of testing and its use in cancer treatment, see Biomarker Tests and Cancer Treatment. Home-based genetic tests Some tests that look for gene changes can be bought without needing a doctor’s order. For this type of testing, you purchase a test kit and send a sample of your DNA (often from saliva) to a lab for testing. If you are considering using a home-based genetic test (also known as a direct-to- consumer genetic test), you need to know what it’s testing for, what it can (and can’t) tell you, and how reliable the test is. Home-based tests do not provide information on a person’s overall risk of developing any type of cancer. Sometimes these tests can sound much more helpful and certain than they have been proven to be. It may sound like the test will provide an answer to your specific health concern, such as your risk of hereditary cancer, but the test may not be able to answer that question completely. For example, a test may look for mutations in a certain gene, but it might not test for all of the possible mutations. So a negative test result, even if accurate, may miss the bigger picture regarding your cancer risk and what you can do to manage it. And you might not be provided with the important context about the test results that a genetic counselor could provide. Home-based genetic tests should not be used instead of cancer screening or genetic counseling that may be recommended by a medical professional based on your individual risk for cancer. Always consult with your doctor if you are considering or have questions about genetic testing. Trained genetic counselors can help you know what to expect from your test results. [The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team]