At Prana Medicare we offer many of the latest tests available within the UK market place. One such test is a test to determine whether you are predisposed to certain forms of cancer such as breast, ovarian, or prostate. Read on for more information about predictive testing and what is involved in the test.
Over the last decade there has been some amazing work done in the field of genetics . One part of this field has been looking at how our genes may give us a predisposition to certain cancers.
Though not usually inherited there are some cancers – mainly breast, ovarian, colorectal and prostate can – which are increasingly being seen to have a familial link. It is thought that certain mutation in our DNA can significantly raise your risk of developing cancer. It is thought that this is because the genes within our DNA which normally correct any damage to the DNA are faulty versions and thus cannot repair the damaged cells, which can build up and form a tumour.
BRCA1 and BRCA2 are two examples of genes that raise your cancer risk if they become altered. Having a variant BRCA gene greatly increases a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. They also increase a man’s chance of developing male breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Individually, these new gene variants only slightly increase the risk of cancer, but a combination could mean a high risk overall.
If you or your partner have a high-risk cancer gene it can be passed on to any children you have, thus increasing their chances of developing a cancer at some point in life. For this reason many people chose to have DNA testing to determine whether they have a predisposition towards certain forms of cancer.