Wise life after bad result

In case of tumours of ovary, breast, large intestine, prostate, kidney, thyroid gland inheritance specially increases risk of disease.

Each age is good for tests, but if it is possible, they should not be postponed up to the middle age. For example many women decide on regular mammographic examinations just after 50th year of life, while the genetically determined cancer occurs earlier.

Genetic test is not a sentence, but good start of wise life. On the basis of result i.e. control test can be planned. Knowledge of destructed gene is disciplining. Then also prophylaxis, i.e. chemoprevention, that is prophylactic taking of drugs decreasing the risk of disease, is possible.

Such tactics in the future - early performance of tests, later frequent control tests – will enable to adjust eventual prophylaxis and treatment to patients and their genes. Oncology heads for individual therapies.

How does the situation look like nowadays? Many patients come to doctor in 3rd or 4th grade of advancement of neoplastic disease. Their chances for cure do not exceed 30%. If they performed the genetic tests, and then took care after their health, they sometimes would avoid the disease.

For who are the tests?

Initially the genetic tests had many opponents. It was believed, that bad result - like fate – will have an influence on life of healthy man. Today it is known, that helps to steer it more wisely. Professor Jan Lubiñski carried out a survey among women, who examined their genetic predispositions to breast cancer and obtained poor result. If they had to make decision again, 96% of them would also undergo these tests.

People, whose relatives suffered from the cancer, are directed on genetic tests in the first turn. However, presently geneticians think that everyone should undergo the tests. Today we do not have many relatives, and sometimes they die for i.e. heart infarct and tumour has no time to attack. Such test for “everyone" has been elaborated in the last year by Cezary Cybulski M.D. Ph.D. and Professor Jan Lubinski (Pomeranian Academy of Medicine). The test helps to discover, if mutations that increase risk of the few tumours are present in our DNA.

Geneticians dream about elaboration of one collecting test, which will show if we are in danger of any tumour. Genetic tests may also help in answer on question, which drug will be effective and what is the risk of metastases. It is also a challenge for scientists to explain the riddle, why one person with defective gene will suffer, and second will not. For the present moment we know that some people have special genes, so called modifying, which even two times decrease the risk of the incidence form cancer in people, who inherited the disease-favouring mutations. So, the result of test is never a sentence. 

Is it worth to perform genetic tests?

YES

Identification of carriers of mutated genes helps to realize the patients the necessity of observance of proper type of diagnostics.

NO

Positive result is not a sentence, but only indicates on the increased risk of incidence. However person deprived of substantial and psychological support from the test performing personnel after obtainment of positive result, may completely get depressed. Negative result does not give a warranty that each person will never suffer from the tumour. Innumerable number among 32 thousand of human genes is responsible for cancer formation. Presently in oncological prophylaxis only few of them are tested. Some oncologists think that the fact of familial occurrence of neoplastic diseases alone is more important then result of the test. So then the negative result means the same or higher risk of incidence as in population.

Genetic tests are good tool of early diagnostics. However it is unacceptable to leave patients alone with result without precise and approachable explanation of its meaning. In case of positive result, proposal of proper prophylaxis is necessary.

• Print page
• Send link
• RSS Channel