Genetic testing, or personal genome sequencing, is a procedure that is fresh on the medical horizon. Often debated as to its ethical nature, the overwhelming benefits are becoming increasingly more socially accepted.
Mentioned below are three primary types of genetic testing, four reasons to get these tests and a brief explanation of why genetic testing may help you.
3 Primary Tests
Hereditary Cancer Tests
Testing your genetic structure, or personal genome sequence, for inherent characteristics related to cancer is one of the most significant gene tests available today. Considering the consequences that are part of having cancer, knowing and understanding your risk factors can be vitally important.
Diagnostic Tests
There are various genome sequences that can be studied -- taken from your genetic test -- that can help your doctor analyze your proclivity to having a particular disease. This can help with early detection, plus be useful in formulating a treatment plan.
Prognostic Tests
While similar to diagnostic procedures, the prognostic tests using genetics can help medical professionals predict the aggressiveness of a particular disease, or the likelihood a disease will get worse over time.
4 Important Reasons for Genetic Testing
There are four important considerations when deciding to have a genetic test performed. Each of these reasons can be helpful to your medical professionals in determining a course of action to deal with your specific circumstances.
1. Results obtained through genetic testing can be extremely beneficial in evaluating genetically inherent risk factors. Finding genetic mutations will help to alert physicians to an increased risk for you developing cancer, or some other debilitating disease.
2. Genetic information can be vitally important in building a plan to successfully cure you, or a way to help you manage a serious illness.
3. Often, the diagnostic process for many seems like a guessing game. Having genetic data will help healthcare professionals make accurate and more timely assessments of difficult diseases.
4. Genetic tests can be used to predict the aggressiveness of a disease, which can be useful when your doctor begins to formulate a treatment plan in the event you are found to have a disease.
When it comes to making final choices on how to attack your disease, genetic information can be helpful to your healthcare staff in making these important, often life-saving decisions.
Do You Think You Need Genetic Testing?
If you have experienced cancer in your life previously, or cancer has affected a family member, genetic testing can be an excellent first step for you. If it's determined you have a higher than normal probability for cancer, medical professionals can help you manage risk factors, plus help you get a head start if you are diagnosed with cancer.
With genetic test results, doctors can offer preventative advice for not only potential cancer victims, but also people who may be susceptible to a number of other diseases.
With genetic test results in hand, you can talk over various treatment plans with your healthcare provider, and be an informed part of the decision-making process.
Genetic testing may continue to be debated in the social arena, but it is becoming clear that this information can be vitally important in medical decisions. Some of these decisions may be able to help save your life. If you have any questions about genetic testing, contact a local specialist, such as Courtagen Life Sciences, to discuss your concerns.
Share19 December 2015
After watching my mother navigate treatment for breast cancer in my early teens, I knew pretty much what to expect from my dad's diagnosis with prostate cancer. What I didn't know was how different chemotherapy and radiation can affect different people. My mother became very ill while my dad seemed to weather the treatments with few ill effects. I spent a long time researching the differences in treatments, types of chemotherapy, and how each one can react differently with the body. I created this blog to help others understand the same things, because I knew I couldn't be the only one unfamiliar with it. I hope it helps you if someone you love is facing treatment for any type of cancer.
