MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'genetic test'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 03:00:09 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2752087&cid=t_164600_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FkDNsa2XdrJs%2F Testing for one’s genetic risk has become increasingly popular in recent years with the mapping of the human genome. Now, you have the opportunity to know if you carry the BRCA genes, or know your risk for Alzheimer’s, other cancers, heart diseases and other diseases and traits, and even one’s genetic ancestry, based on the presence of certain DNA segments in your genome. Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) DNA testing, also known as personal genome services, allows a person to get his genetic profile just simply by swabbing one’s cheeks or spitting into a test tube and sending the sample back to the genetic testing company. In a few weeks you have your results back in print and at a password-controlled website. Pretty nifty, right? Actor Ernie Hudson swabs cheek for African Ancestry DNA ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2752087 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:59:12 +0100 2752087 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2415640&cid=t_164600_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F4OJJeJEmteM%2F The Oncotype DX test is an important diagnostic tool to help women with breast cancer determine how likely she will benefit from adding chemotherapy to her treatment. The test also measures how likely her cancer will return in the future. Well, new research found that Oncotype DX Test may also help predict the return of colon cancer, and affect the treatment course of a patient. A patient with low “odds of recurrence” may not need chemotherapy, and can stick to surgery alone. Oncotype DX Test for colon cancer is similar to the ones that is used in breast cancer, but the colon-cancer test is not as strong in predicting recurrence than breast cancer, but the test is useful nonetheless. Genome Health, the makers of Oncotype DX test, will likely commercialize the genetic test for colon ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2415640 Sat, 16 May 2009 03:27:00 +0100 2415640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1883378&cid=t_164600_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FvRo_X15ST5A%2F Good news for the state of Illinois! Women who are at high risk for developing breast and/or ovarian cancer will receive insurance coverage under Medicaid. Genetic tests for BRCA1 and BRCA2, and counseling will be available for low-income women with a strong family history of breast cancer or previous cancer diagnosis, writes the Chigaco Tribune. Women with mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene are 3 to 7 times more likely to develop breast cancer, and have a 16 to 60 percent lifetime risk for getting ovarian cancer than women without the mutations. Last year, about 22,000 low-income women enrolled in Medicaid were treated for breast cancer. Let’s hope other states follow suit, so more women with very little resources can have themselves tested. What’s not clear from the article, and ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1883378 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:09:42 +0100 1883378 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1962916&cid=t_164600_117_f&fid=38158&url=http%3A%2F%2Famericanacupuncture.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F10%2Falzehimers-tes.html DO YOU WANT TO KNOW IF YOU WILL GET ALZEHEIMERS ? A Pennsylvania company is marketing a genetic test to tell whether you are at increased risk for Alzheimer’s.  Fifteen years ago the critical gene APOE was linked to Alzheimer’s. You give a saliva smear and $399 and learn if you have a risk of Alzheimer’s that is 3-15 times higher than normal. The science behind the test is solid.  It differs form many other gene tests for common adult diseases.  How would you react to learn you have the APOE genotype and how will you communicate this explosive information? There are  mental health consequences of telling people you MAY get a disease that is neither preventable nor treatable and is fatal.  Most researchers feel the benefits of knowing your genotype are trivial and the emotional r... Dr. Needles Medical Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1962916 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:28:00 +0100 1962916 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1603444&cid=t_164600_136_f&fid=36051&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FCancerCommentary%2F%7E3%2F330736360%2F The US FDA has recently approved a new genetic test for breast cancer: the SPOT-Light HER2 CISH kit. This novel genetic test - a product of Invitrogen Corporation - determining whether patients with breast cancer are good candidates for treatment with the drug Herceptin (trastuzumab). The SPOT-Light HER2 CISH kit is a test that measures the number of copies of the HER2 gene in tumor tissue. This gene regulates the growth of cancer cells. A healthy breast cell has two copies of the HER2 gene, which sends a signal to cells, telling them when to grow, divide and make repairs. Patients with breast cancer may have more copies of this HER2 gene, prompting them to overproduce HER2 protein so that more signals are sent to breast cells. As a result, the cells grow and divide much too quickly. Read ... Cancer Commentary blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1603444 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:26:31 +0100 1603444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1150892&cid=t_164600_136_f&fid=36051&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FCancerCommentary%2F%7E3%2F216892947%2F Approved by the FDA, a genetic test that can help in the assessment of risk of tumor recurrence and long-term survival for patients with relatively high-risk breast cancer - TOP2A FISH pharmDx - is the first approved device to test for the TOP2A (topoisomerase 2 alpha) gene in cancer patients. The TOP2A gene plays a role in DNA replication. The TOP2A FISH pharmDx test uses fluorescently labeled DNA probes to detect or confirm gene or chromosome abnormalities, a technology known as fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). The recurrence of cancer depends partly on certain genes whose activity may be altered by changes in the number of gene copies in the tumor. Changes in the TOP2A gene in breast cancer cells mean there is an increased likelihood that the tumor will recur or that long-term ... Cancer Commentary blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1150892 Tue, 15 Jan 2008 07:43:00 +0100 1150892