Genetic testing - What’s in it for me? (Café scientifique Part 1)
• Interested in learning more about genetics?
• Ever wondered about your family history?
• Concerned about autism, mental health, cancer, or cardiovascular disease?
• Is genetic testing an option for you?
If you have ever pondered these topics, come and join our panel of experts for a Café scientifique discussion about the current practice of clinical genetics. We will address the limitations, advantages, disadvantages, and ethical considerations of genetic testing.
Host:
Genetic counsellors, Guillaume Sillon and Sui Mei Chiu
Presenters
Lola Cartier, MSc, McGill University Health Centre
Karine Sénécal, LLM, Université de Montréal
Marc Tischkowitz, MD, PhD, McGill University
Q & A
1. If one were serious about getting genetic testing, would they initially need to have a profile of tests done?
2. Which of the following is genetic testing most effective at predicting: Autism, cardiovascular disease, cancer or mental illness?
3. You mentioned family history as being important in determining genetic predisposition. How do you retrieve family history when a patient can't provide that information?
4. If there are no cures for many of these illnesses, how does genetic testing help?
5. How are genes identified? Is it done numerically? 6. Do genetic mutations cause breast cancer?
7. Once you discover that someone is predisposed towards a particular genetic mutation, do you prescribe a personalized treatment to prevent it from developing?
8. Are there currently any delivery methods for gene therapy, such as viral vectors, that are leading to cures for genetic diseases?
9. Have genes been discovered that predispose one towards developing lung cancer or heart disease?
10. Comme les tests génétiques n'expriment que vos chances de développer une pathologie, n'y aura-t-il pas donc un problème éthique en ce qui concerne des gens subissant des traitements pour des maladies qu'ils n'ont pas actuellement et n'auront peut-être jamais?
11. Pourriez-vous résumer tous les tests génétiques que l'on pourrait avoir?
12. We seem to be living longer but cancer rates also seem to be on the rise. Is that accurate?
13. Est-ce qu'un gène est capable de muter a partir d'influences environnementales, plutôt qu'héreditaires? 14. Est-ce qu'un traumatisme d'enfance pourrait causer une mutation génétique?
15. What methods are used to differentiate between gene mutations that have genetic origins from those having environmental ones?
16. I had a lung cancer which was surgically removed. My doctor warned me however, that if it were to reappear, I would need chemotherapy. Why is that?
17. Vous avez dit que pour faire de la recherche génétique, il vous faut un échantillonnage complet. Comment est-ce que vous procédez tant qu'aux maladies dites "orphelines"?
18. Can insurance companies adjust your premiums or deny coverage based on genetic predisposition? If so, is there any legislation to prevent this from happening?
19. Si je decouvre que je suis prédisposée à une maladie quelconque et que l'exposition a un environnement particulier pourrait précipiter le dévéloppement de cette maladie, est-ce que ceci me donnerait le droit de demander de mon employeur des conditions de travail spéciales?
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