>> WE HAVE TALKED A LOT ABOUT DNA TESTING HERE ON NEWS 6. DNA TESTING KITS FOR YOUR PETS AND
EVEN DNA FOR YOUR PROPERTY.
AND OF COURSE WE ALL KNOW ABOUT
THOSE DNA KITS YOU CAN BUY THE
TREASURE FAMILY HISTORY.
>> AND SOME OF THEM LIKE
23ANDME ALSO OFFER OPTIONS TO
TEST FOR THINGS LIKE THE BRONCO
GENE LINKED TO BREAST CARRYING
CANCER AND OTHER HEREDITARY
CONDITIONS.
>> WITH ALL CAN REALLY FIND OUT
ABOUT IT AND HOW ACCURATE CAN
THIS TEST BE.
NEWS 6 MORNING ANCHOR AND
HEALTH REPORTER KIRSTIN
O’CONNER IS STANDING BY TO ASK
A DOCTOR.
>> SO THESE TESTS ARE
FASCINATING.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED
IN A HEARING A LOT MORE ABOUT
THEM NOW AND IT’S IMPORTANT TO
UNDERSTAND THE FACTS THAT YOU
HAVE A GRIP ON THE INFORMATION
YOU ARE GETTING.
JOINING US TO HELP BREAK IT
DOWN WE HAVE DOCTOR REBECCA A
ROOS AND ONCOLOGIST WITH THE
ORLANDO HEALTH CANCER CENTER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
WITH US TODAY.
>> WHAT A PLEASURE.
SUCH AN IMPORTANT TOPIC AND
THERE’S A LOT OF MESS AND A LOT
OF TRUTHS NEED TO DISPEL THE
MYTH.
>> THAT’S ATTEMPTING IT.
FIRST OF ALL PEOPLE ARE GETTING
THESE AT HOME TEST WHETHER THIS
BRAND OF THAT.
AND THINKING HEY I WILL FIND
OUT ALL THIS WONDERFUL GENETIC
HISTORY ABOUT MY FAMILY.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MESS --
MYTH THEY DO NOT RELY SO
GETTING INTO.
>> AS WE MENTIONED 23ANDME,
NINE GENES THAT GIVE YOU HIGH
RISK OF BREAST CANCER AND THEN
THERE ARE SOME CANDIDATE GENES.
THE ONLY TEST FOR THE THREE
COMMON MUTATIONS.
THERE ARE MANY, MANY BRCA1 AND
BRCA2 MUTATIONS NOT BEING
TESTED.
SO SAY A WOMAN GETS A TEST AND
SHE SAYS I DO NOT HAVE
MUTATIONS.
THEY GET A FALSE SENSE OF
SECURITY THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE
TO BE SCREENED AND REBUT BREAST
CANCER.
>> AND WHAT ABOUT IF YOU GO TO
YOUR DOCTOR AND REQUEST GENETIC
TESTING.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT DOING
THAT IN AN OFFICE SETTING
COMPARED TO DOING IT AT HOME.
>> ULTIMATELY WOULD SEE GENETIC
COUNSELOR WHO WOULD PREPARE YOU
FOR THE TYPE OF TEST BEING DONE
IN THE POSSIBLE RAMIFICATIONS
AND RESULTS.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE IS TO BREAST
CANCER GENE THAT ALSO CONFERS A
RISK OF STOMACH CANCER.
AND IS THE TYPE OF STOMACH
CANCER THAT CANNOT BE SCREENED
FOR.
SO IF THE PATIENT HAS THAT GENE
THEY HAD TO HAVE THEIR STOMACH
REMOVED FOR OPTIMUM PROTECTION
FROM POSSIBLE DEADLY CANCER.
>> SO THAT IS SOMETHING YOU
COULD FIND OUT IN ONE OF THESE
TESTS AND NOT EVEN REALIZE IT’S
GOING TO HAVE THIS HUGE
IMPLICATION ON THE REST OF YOUR
LIFE.
>> VIA PATIENTS WHO DO A HOME
TESTING KIT WITHIN COME TO SEE
OUR GENETIC COUNSELORS WHICH
WITH ABNORMAL RESULT BECAUSE
THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO
INTERPRET IT AND THEY DO NOT
KNOW HOW TO BE MEDICALLY
MANAGED AND I DO NOT KNOW THE
RAMIFICATIONS.
>> THAT IS WHAT I WAS GOING TO
ASK TWO PEOPLE COME TO THE
DOCTOR’S OFFICE AFTER THEY’VE
DONE ONE OF THESE AT HOME TESTS
WITH THE RESULTS ASKING WHAT
DOES THIS MEAN AND WHAT DOES
THIS MEAN?
AND HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO
LOOK THROUGH THAT AND ANSWER
HELP THEM.
THERE ARE GUIDELINES THAT ARE
WELL VETTED FOR MANAGEMENT
DEPENDING ON WHICH GENE YOU
HAVE A MUTATION.
SO MUTATIONS DO NOT CONFER VERY
HIGH RISK OF CANCER.
SO WE MONITOR THOSE PATIENTS.
OTHERS HAVE SUCH A HIGH RISK OF
CANCER FOR DIFFERENT BREAST
CANCERS.
WE WILL DO PREVENTATIVE
SURGERIES ON HIS PATIENTS.
THE OTHER THING THAT PATIENTS
DO NOT UNDERSTAND IS THERE IS
MORE THAN JUST BRCA1 AND
BRACKET TWO.
THERE ARE OTHER GENES AND NOW
WERE LEARNING ABOUT GENES THAT
CONFER RISK OF OTHER THINGS AND
WERE LEARNING ABOUT METASTATIC
PROSTATE CANCER AND PANCREATIC
CANCER ALSO RELATED TO BRCA1
GENETIC GUIDELINES THAT PEOPLE
HAVE HEARD OVER AND OVER AGAIN
BRCA1 AND BRCA2.
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER THINGS
PEOPLE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT
BEFORE THEY DO THESE AT HOME
GENETIC TEST KITS?
>> FIRST, YOU HAVE TO THINK
ABOUT WHO’S THE BEST PERSON IN
YOUR FAMILY TO TEST.
IF YOU HAD CANCER, LET’S SAY
YOU HAVE AN AUNT WITH OVARIAN
CANCER OR A MOM WITH ON-SITE
YOUNG BREAST CANCER.
THAT IS THE PERSON BEST TO TEST
BECAUSE IT CAN BE VERY, VERY
INFORMATIVE FOR WHO ELSE IN THE
FAMILY SHOULD BE TESTED.
>> OF THE ACTUAL PATIENT, GETS
MORE INFORMATION THAN A
DAUGHTER OR SON.
>> EXACTLY.
THE OTHER THING TO KNOW IS MOST
BREAST CANCER IS NOT DUE TO
UNKNOWN MUTATED GENE.
SO WITH CALCULATING TOOLS WHERE
WE CAN PUT YOUR FAMILY HISTORY
AND PERSONAL HISTORY AND
CALCULATE YOUR PERSONAL RISK OF
BREAST CANCER NOT RELATED TO A
MUTATION.
MOST WOMEN GET BREAST CANCER DO
NOT GET IT FROM A MUTATION.
AND THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO
EDUCATE THEM.
>> WE ARE JUST ABOUT TO GO INTO
OCTOBER WHICH IS OF COURSE
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.
YOU SEE A LOT OF PATIENTS
HAVING THIS DISCUSSION WITH
THEIR DOCTOR MORE AND MORE
ABOUT GENETIC TESTING RIGHT
AROUND THIS TIME OF YEAR?
AWARENESS WHICH IS ALL GOOD AND
HEALTHY.
MORE CONVERSATIONS.
WE DO MANY MORE SCREENINGS AND
MAMMOGRAMS DURING THE MONTH OF
OCTOBER.
WE ALSO PROVIDE INFORMATION
WHEN WOMEN COMFORTER SCREENING
SO THEY CAN ASSESS THEIR
LIKELIHOOD OF HAVING A GENE OR
LIKELIHOOD OF GETTING BREAST
CANCER NOT RELATED TO A GENE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, DOCTOR.
I AM SURE WE WILL HAVE A LOT