Comment by bradly
4 days ago
> You may need to push for comprehensive genetic testing.
Not cancer, but after over twenty years of anti-depressants of all shapes and sizes my latest psychiatrist recommended one of genetic tests and it turns out I’m missing some enzyme that is supposedly needed for the meds to work.
Bitter sweet to find these things out so late in life, but better late than never.
Genetic tests for cancer are a different kind of genetic test. They test the tumor itself for mutations that are present only in the tumor, not in the rest of the body.
Oh interesting. I didn’t know that. Thank you for the clarification.
Are you sure? BRCA testing is just a genome test, not the tumor. I may be misunderstanding your statement.
BRCA is one risk factor for certain cancers. You can get genetic counseling to understand your cancer risk looking at this and other markers.
In this context, though, we're talking about measuring the actual cancer (including the tumor's mutations) to determine what therapies it is likely to be responsive to.
e.g. this: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/biomarke... not this: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/geneti...
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Indeed, there are some cancers with a hereditary predisposition. But they are quite rare and such genetic counseling is usually only indicated when there is a family history of the disease.
For the vast majority of cancer patients, generic testing means somatic testing for tumor markers.
I had that gene test. Some of the results were like "don't take this because you metabolize it too fast". If your doctor is struggling with finding an anti-depressant that works for you, then I'd recommend the gene test.