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Surge in number of healthy patients who want genetic testing to find risk of cancer

Independent.ie

Growing numbers of healthy people are on waiting lists for months to find out if they have inherited genes which leave them at a higher risk of some cancers, it emerged yesterday.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/surge-in-number-of-healthy-patients-who-want-genetic-testing-to-find-risk-of-cancer-38669341.html

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Growing numbers of healthy people are on waiting lists for months to find out if they have inherited genes which leave them at a higher risk of some cancers, it emerged yesterday.

They are being referred for specialist screening because of their family history of certain forms of cancer.

However, they face the anxiety of delays to be seen because understaffed services in St James's Hospital in Dublin are struggling to cope.

Prof David Gallagher, a consultant in medical oncology and genetics, warned his clinic is now getting 7,800 referrals a year - around 150 a week - and this is leading to waiting lists.

He said his team expects to provide 4,000 test results this year - up from less than 500 in 2013 - but it cannot keep pace with demand.

The patients include those with a family history of particular cancers who want to know if they have inherited versions of the genes which leave them at increased risk.

The clinics are also dealing with a significant number of referrals of patients who have cancer and need to learn if they have a genetic mutation which would make them suitable for certain drug treatments.

A healthy patient who is referred today will be on a waiting list until May, said Prof Gallagher.

"A lot of the testing is urgent. We keep slots for urgent cases each week. If the testing will change the treatment of a cancer patient, we will get them in," he said.

However, it means that this pushes out the time faced by patients who need testing to show if they have a mutated gene which can increase their chance of getting cancer of the breast, ovary or prostate.

A positive result means the person with the inherited faulty versions of genes can take steps to manage and reduce their risk.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 - which actress Angelina Jolie inherited - are two of the best known examples of genes that raise a woman's risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer.

Prof Gallagher said the majority of women in Ireland who test positive for these genes still adopt a "watch and wait" approach, but there has been a rise in the numbers having preventive surgery.

These are not the only cancer risk genes, and there are many that people can now be screened for. "Five different genes cause Lynch syndrome," he pointed out.

Lynch syndrome is a genetic condition that can significantly increase the risk of developing bowel cancer, as well as cancer of the womb and ovary.

The only clinics for public patients who need genetic testing are in St James's Hospital and Crumlin Hospital.

Prof Gallagher said his service is "hugely under-staffed" and there is an urgent need for more consultant cancer geneticists and counsellors.

A new cancer geneticist will join the team from New York next year, but it will remain under huge pressure. He said there is also a need for Ireland to develop its own molecular genetics lab. Currently samples are sent abroad for testing, which adds to the delay.

Prof Gallagher will be among the speakers at a conference in St James's Hospital today. The Trinity-St James's Cancer Institute will unveil a sculpture by Chris Wilson to mark the 25th anniversary of the first time a woman was tested for the BRAC2 gene in Ireland.

Irish Independent

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Surge in number of healthy patients who want genetic testing to find risk of cancer - Independent.ie

This entry was posted on November 8, 2019 at 10:48 am and is filed under Genetics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |