JScreen Is Making Cancer Genetic Testing Accessible
Ashkenazi men and women face a 1-in-40 risk of carrying mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes (genes linked to breast, ovarian, prostate, pancreatic and melanoma cancers) more than 10 times the risk in the general population.
JScreen, a national public health initiative based at Emory University, Atlanta, has announced what could be a major breakthrough: a program that offers at-home testing for more than 60 cancer susceptibility genes linked to certain hereditary risks.
“This type of testing is important because it alerts people to their risks before they get cancer,” explained Jane Lowe Meisel, MD, an associate professor at Emory’s School of Medicine. “They can then take action to help prevent cancer altogether or to detect it at an early, treatable stage.”