At-home genetic testing for cancer and other disease risk is booming: Should you try it?
By A. Pawlowski,
Today
| 10. 04. 2021
Breast Cancer Awareness Month will cause many women to worry about their hereditary risk for developing the disease, especially if it runs in their family.
Genetic testing can answer that piece of the puzzle for breast and many other types of cancer, as well as a variety of diseases. It used to be costly, and require doctor’s orders and appointments. But anyone can now buy a fairly inexpensive DNA testing kit online and receive some answers without leaving home as part of a growing industry known as direct-to-consumer genetic testing.
How it works:
It usually means providing a saliva sample and sending it back to the company for lab analysis, with the results accessible via a secure online portal or sent in a letter. Depending on the company, a physician doesn’t necessarily have to be involved to order the kit or get the findings.
Proponents say it democratizes the process, giving people more access to their genetic information and allowing them to take action to protect their health. But experts also worry about the tests’ validity and false reassurance, and...
Related Articles
By Margaux MacColl, The San Francisco Standard | 09.17.2025
Designer babies are coming soon to an IVF clinic near you.
Nucleus Genomics, founded by Kian Sadeghi in 2020, when he was just 20, got its start analyzing genomes to weigh a person’s risk of everything from cancer to ADHD...
By Johana Bhuiyan, The Guardian | 09.23.2025
In March 2021, a 25-year-old US citizen was traveling through Chicago’s Midway airport when they were stopped by US border patrol agents. Though charged with no crime, the 25-year-old was subjected to a cheek swab to collect their DNA, which...
By Annika Inampudi, Science | 08.01.2025
In June, Sara* received a message asking whether she wanted to continue to participate in a massive, multicenter research project led by scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark. The iPsych study, the message said, had sequenced her genetic data from...
The Center for Genetics and Society is delighted to recommend the current edition of GMWatch Review – Number 589. UK-based GMWatch, a long-standing ally, was founded in 1998 by Jonathan Matthews as an independent organization seeking to counter the enormous corporate political power and propaganda of the GMO industry and its supporters. Matthews and Claire Robinson are its directors and managing editors.
CGS works to ensure that social justice, equity, human rights, and democratic governance are front...