Genetics
Genes influence susceptibility to disease
Our goal is to know as much as possible about you and your likely future medical problems so that we can direct our combined efforts to most effectively protect your health.
Our genes play a major role in determining which diseases will afflict us. That role may be dominant, as in some cases of familial Alzheimer’s disease. More commonly, certain genes act as risk factors for one or more diseases, as in the case of genetic hypercholesterolemia that may lead to heart disease or stroke.
Over the past ten years, medical science has developed powerful new tools that allow us to examine an individual’s genetic makeup to gain insight into their future health. A major public health effort, the NIH Human Genome Project, has stimulated the discovery of hundreds of genes that, when defective, lead to serious illness. At the David Drew Clinic, we employ the power of this new technology to predict future disease. Using genetic information, we can help you to make informed decisions about how to protect your future health. And we can assist you in designing an individualized early disease detection program that is properly focused.
The most fruitful application of genetic technology is probably in the prediction of cancer. Genetic errors that predispose to cancer, so-called "oncogenes", have been discovered for a variety of cancers. In most cases, the normal versions of these oncogenes control cell growth and thus act as cancer "suppressors". When they are defective, control is lost and cells divide endlessly.
Nowhere has the discovery of oncogenes been as important as in breast cancer. Two genes, called BRCA1 and BRCA2, are responsible for most occurrences of familial breast cancer. Women who possess mutations of one of these two genes have a 70-90% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. Moreover, women with BRCA1 have a 40% risk of ovarian cancer, and BRCA2 plays a role in breast cancer in men and in pancreatic cancer.
Many other oncogenes predisposing to other types of cancer have been discovered. And a particular gene called p53, when defective, can lead to a variety of cancer types, including colon cancer. A gene that makes an individual susceptible to the carcinogenic effects of radiation has been identified. The discovery of that gene in an individual would spur not only more intensive surveillance, but also an avoidance program limiting exposure to medical and dental X-rays, radon, sunlight, and even smoke detectors.
As part of your health optimization program at the David Drew Clinic, your physician may make use of genetic testing to identify hereditary risks to your health. We focus on the discovery of gene defects that can lead to effective prevention or to early detection of curable disease. Together with our genetic counseling staff, we will help you to understand the implications of your genetic tests for your future health and for your family members. As new tests become available, your genetic profile will be updated.
Our goal is to know as much as possible about you and your likely future medical problems so that we can direct our combined efforts to most effectively protect your health.
