tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66519487053363798512024-02-07T16:33:44.575-05:00Cancer Genetic CounselingTHE CANCER GENETIC COUNSELING BLOG PROVIDES THE LATEST GENETIC COUNSELING AND TESTING INFORMATION SO PEOPLE AT INCREASED RISK FOR HEREDITARY CANCER CAN MAKE INFORMED MEDICAL DECISIONS. THESE INTERVENTIONS CAN HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON A PERSON'S LIFE BY ALLOWING THEM TO TAILOR THEIR HEALTH CARE AND REDUCE THEIR RISK OF DEVELOPING CANCER.
THE BLOG DOES NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF YALE CANCER CENTER LEADERSHIP OR FACULTY, BUT IS WRITTEN BY AN INDIVIDUAL.My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comBlogger236125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-12407583500245148912014-06-16T16:41:00.002-04:002014-06-16T16:41:17.075-04:00Survey: Genetic Counseling Leads Some Patients to Cheaper BRCA TestsExcerpt from GenomeWeb:
When patients seeking BRCA testing are counseled by certified genetic healthcare providers (GHP) they may be more likely to receive cheaper testing procedures, thereby avoiding expensive comprehensive sequencing tests, according to a new study.
The research, conducted by investigators at the Moffitt Cancer Center and published yesterday in Genetics in Medicine, found My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-50848221636401702992014-06-16T15:16:00.000-04:002014-06-16T15:16:03.067-04:00The Truth about Public Genetic Databases
The vast majority (95%) of individuals pursuing BRCA testing receive one of two types of results: 1) negative results with no mutation or variant found or 2) a BRCA mutation detected. Both should be interpreted carefully by a certified genetic counselor in the context of that patient’s personal/family history.
However ~3-5% of individuals pursuing BRCA testing will learn that they carry a My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-76736615333552499422014-06-06T12:04:00.000-04:002014-06-06T12:04:21.365-04:00Don’t Deny our Active Military Life-Saving Genetic ServicesTRICARE, the insurance carrier of our active military and their families, ceased to cover more than 100 laboratory-based tests last year, including genetic tests for most hereditary cancer syndromes (excluding BRCA). This decision places TRICARE out-of-step with other government programs and commercial health insurance. Genetic Alliance is asking organizations to join in support to petition My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-19264549547802812772014-05-29T10:40:00.000-04:002014-06-03T15:38:27.484-04:00Don’t Do It, AMA
The American Medical Association (AMA) will soon be voting on a statement opposing the utilization of genetic testing services solely by providers who specialize in genetics (e.g. geneticists, genetic counselors) and in support of genetic testing by any provider regardless of specialty, education, or certification. The serious negative ethical, legal, financial and medical implications of this My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-53523478449392523022014-05-24T17:59:00.000-04:002014-05-24T17:59:43.126-04:00Article Concluding the Majority of Breast Surgeons Provide Adequate Genetic Counseling Demonstrates the Opposite
An original article published online in the Annals of Surgical Oncology (Ann Surg Oncol DOI 10.1245/s10434-014-3711-9) is noteworthy for many reasons.
• This article is entitled, ‘Can Breast Surgeons Provide Breast Cancer Genetic Testing?’, and yet the methods used cannot adequately answer this question. The authors surveyed breast surgeons requesting a ‘self-assessment of skills and My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-12496046344581375372014-05-20T08:57:00.000-04:002014-05-20T08:59:35.673-04:00Geneticists on Both Coasts Issue “Call to Action” On Need to Share DNA DataIn the new issue of Evidence-Based Oncology, Ellen T. Matloff, MS, CGC, and Rachel E. Barnett, MS, CGC, of the Yale Cancer Center and Robert Nussbaum, MD, of UC San Francisco write that efforts by some genetic testing laboratories to grab market share in the lucrative BRCA testing market may put patients at risk, while violating ethical standards issued by the American Medical Association.
My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-38580525275583827962014-05-16T09:40:00.000-04:002014-05-16T09:40:13.642-04:00Choosing a BRCA Genetic Testing Laboratory: A Patient-Centric and Ethical Call to Action for Clinicians and PayersGenetic testing laboratories are using aggressive and manipulative tactics to capture market share in the BRCA testing market. Clinicians and payers are encouraged to utilize patient-centric criteria, including open access to data, to make decisions about genetic testing laboratories.
The past 12 months in the world of cancer genetic counseling have been more notable, perhaps, than the past 12 My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-45567176666962009882014-02-24T13:28:00.001-05:002014-05-16T09:30:48.362-04:00Genetic Testing Lab Position Statement
To show your support of this position statement, please send an e-mail with your intent, and affiliation to danielle.bonadies@yale.edu
Since the patents on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes (associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer) were overturned in mid-2013, the options for BRCA testing have exploded. Many laboratories are offering comprehensive, quality testing at ~50% of the previous My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-42406388639265055012014-01-13T16:48:00.001-05:002014-01-13T16:48:10.905-05:00After 23andMe, Another Personal Genetics Firm Is Charged with False Advertising Original post by Dina Fine Maron on Scientific American, 1/11/14
It sounded like a miracle of science and convenience: swab your cheek and drop the saliva sample in the mailbox and GeneLink Biosciences, a personal genetics company, would analyze your DNA and send back nutritional supplements customized to your personal genome. The regimen, the company promised, was good for diabetes, heart My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-54334102376916841032014-01-02T12:15:00.000-05:002014-01-02T12:15:51.966-05:00U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Finds Benefit in Risk Assessment, Genetic Counseling, and Genetic Testing for BRCA-Related Cancer for Small Group of High-Risk Women
WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 24, 2013 – The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) today published its final recommendation on risk assessment, genetic counseling, and genetic testing for BRCA-related cancer in women. The Task Force recommends that women with family members who have had breast, ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal cancer talk with a health care professional to learn if their My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-77671114711376922262014-01-02T11:57:00.000-05:002014-01-02T11:58:16.866-05:00CMS Cuts Reimbursement for BRCA1/2 Testing by 49 Percent; Analyst Downgrades Myriad SharesOriginal post on GenomeWeb, 12/30/13
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updated its reimbursement level for BRACA testing at $1,438 for 2014, a slash of nearly 49 percent from a previous level of $2,795.
As a result, investment bank Mizuho Securities today downgraded its rating on Myriad Genetics' shares to Hold from Buy and cut the price target on the My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-60204917769394342682013-12-04T08:39:00.000-05:002014-02-06T10:47:26.448-05:00Class Action Law Suit Filed Against 23andMeOriginal post on Forbes by Dan Munro, 12/2/13
That didn’t take long. Quite literally about 5 days from the date of the FDA’s warning letter to 23andMe (11/22) and the filing of a class action law suit in the Southern District Court of California (11/27).
While the merits of the legal case are best suited for legal interpretation and debate, the damage to the marketing of general purpose My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-76568961757395644952013-12-03T14:53:00.000-05:002013-12-03T14:53:51.561-05:00Ask Well: Genetic Testing for Breast CancerOriginal post by Roni Caryn Rabyn, NYTimes, 11/27/13
Some Israeli doctors want Israel to conduct a national screening campaign to test all Jewish Israeli women of Ashkenazi descent for harmful genetic mutations that heighten the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The debate is detailed in the article, “In Israel, a Push to Screen for Cancer Gene Leaves Many Conflicted.”
Most American Jews are My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-29523103003598011952013-12-02T11:18:00.000-05:002013-12-02T11:20:20.263-05:00Genetic Testing Should Adhere to Medical, Not Business, Ethics: FDA's Regulation of 23andMe Is a Welcome Move for Consumers Original post by Karuna Jaggar on HuffPost Business, 12/1/13
This week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning letter to the direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe, demanding that it immediately stop marketing and selling its DNA testing service until it receives approval from the agency tasked with regulating medical tests and devices. In what has widely been called My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-76306484665962101722013-11-27T15:23:00.002-05:002013-11-27T15:23:49.646-05:00Here’s why the FDA is targeting 23andMeOriginal story on medcitynews.com by Christina Farr, 11/26/13
Monday morning, federal regulators issued an enforcement action against 23andMe, a popular Silicon Valley-based genetic testing startup.
Community forums and news sites across the web exploded with debate, with most people rallying to 23andMe’s defense. The company’s ample support-base claims that the Food and Drug Administration is My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-11636390329248000542013-11-25T14:06:00.000-05:002013-11-25T14:07:41.872-05:00F.D.A. Demands a Halt to a DNA Test Kit’s Marketing
Original article by Andrew Pollack, NYTimes, 11/25/13
In a crackdown on genetic testing offered directly to consumers, the Food and Drug Administration is demanding that 23andMe immediately cease marketing its main DNA service until it receives marketing clearance from the agency.
In a warning letter issued Friday and posted on the F.D.A.'s website Monday, the F.D.A. said that the company had My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-29929694738971850502013-11-25T08:41:00.001-05:002013-11-25T08:41:58.684-05:00Can 23andMe testing really enable you to be 'Healthy at 100'?
23andMe's Anne Wojcicki recently appeared on 'CBS This Morning' to discuss how personal genomic profiling can provide information to empower individuals to be "healthy at 100". After watching this segment, we are left wondering about several key issues:
- Does the type/quality of data obtained from 23andMe really give us enough information to be healthy at 100? While this might be the goal, weMy Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-5169192907902757022013-11-18T11:16:00.001-05:002013-11-18T11:16:12.318-05:00Give The Gift of Family Health HistoryKnowing your family health history in advance could save your life.
As you gather with your family this holiday season, give the gift that is truly most important --- health. Take the time to obtain and document your entire family history, including information about the health conditions (e.g. cancer, heart disease, etc) in your family. Knowing your family health history can help your My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-31613103142320427612013-11-14T17:24:00.001-05:002013-11-14T17:24:38.780-05:00Free The Data!Free the Data raises awareness about the need to share genetic variation freely. While millions of people receive mutation reports annually, these mutations are usually not publishable in journals and do not appear in the public domain. Watch the video and/or click the link below for more information -- and learn how to free your data!
FREE THE DATA
My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-38506942684645485882013-11-06T16:07:00.000-05:002013-11-06T16:08:46.531-05:00Ellen T. Matloff Featured as Guest Lecturer of the Max and Marian Farash Community Lecture Series Original post by William and Hobart Smith Colleges
The Colleges hosted a standing-room only crowd for a lecture on genetic counseling by Yale research scientist and Geneva High School graduate Ellen T. Matloff, as a distinguished guest lecturer of the Max and Marian Farash Community Lecture series on Oct. 24. Matloff was introduced by Courtney Franceschi '16, also a GHS alum. Colleges President My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-1831941481339844182013-11-01T15:25:00.000-04:002013-11-01T15:26:47.185-04:00Before Angelina: Portraits of Breast Cancer Previvors and SurvivorsOriginal story from TIME, 10/28/13
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, TIME photographed 15 women who chose to have preventative double mastectomies after learning they carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, years before Angelina Jolie’s New York Times Op-ed renewed the conversation about the genetic risk factors and surgical decisions. These mutations can increase the risk of breast cancer My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-83726449802412346332013-10-24T16:22:00.000-04:002013-10-24T16:23:02.688-04:00Myriad Sues Quest Over BRCA1/2 PatentsOriginal post on GenomeWeb, 10/24/13
Myriad Genetics yesterday filed a suit against Quest Diagnostics alleging patent infringement, the fourth lawsuit Myriad has filed against a competitor following a US Supreme Court ruling on patents covering BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene testing.
The lawsuit was filed in US District Court for the District of Utah, Central Division, and in addition to Myriad, the My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-77598140891530987082013-10-15T15:02:00.000-04:002013-10-15T15:02:34.145-04:00Who Can Challenge Myriad's Monopoly In Breast Cancer Gene Tests?Original post on Forbes.com by Mathhew Herper, 10/15/13
Four months after a Supreme Court decision that invalidated some patents on Myriad Genetics’ tests for breast and ovarian cancer risk, the Salt Lake City biotechnology firm is facing a new, and very big, competitor: Quest Diagnostics, the $7 billion (sales) maker of laboratory tests.
Quest will offer the most comprehensive version of the My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-86747794906069919862013-10-03T13:07:00.000-04:002013-10-03T13:07:36.679-04:00The Angelina Jolie Effect: What Every Woman Should Know About Her GeneticsThe JCC of Woodbridge will be hosting "The Angelina Jolie Effect: What Every Woman Should Know About Her Genetics", tonight from 7:00 - 9:00pm. This talk will include a panel of medical experts from Yale, including genetic counselor Ellen T. Matloff.
Location:
Jewish Community Center,
360 Amity Road,
Woodbridge, CT, 06525,
Phone: 203-387-2424,
Fax: 203-387-1818,
egroves@jewishnewhaven.org
My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651948705336379851.post-13226515064903860852013-10-02T14:57:00.000-04:002013-10-02T14:57:52.998-04:00Mammography techs ordering their own genetic testing? It appears our suspicion was correct.A concerned referring physician of ours recently called to report that her confused and somewhat panicked patient just returned from her mammography appointment to say that the tech ordered genetic testing. Based on the patient’s questions and concerns it appeared she had received no genetic counseling and had no informed consent discussion. Additionally, she did not know what test had been My Gene Counsel, New Haven, CThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06066012419473541977noreply@blogger.com