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American Medicine

Approximately 30% of cancers are caused by hereditary tendency to get cancer.  In other diseases, such as cardiac disease, bone disease, and lung disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol, the hereditary tendency to develop the disease is also very strong.

The Supreme Court recently ruled that in the case of a gene test for breast and ovarian cancer (BRCA1 and BRCA2), the gene itself could not be patented.  It did specify that the synthetic DNA, used in any company’s test to detect abnormalities in the gene, was patentable.

How is this decision going to help you?  The erroneously issued patent which allowed a company to patent the normal genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, kept competitor companies who wanted to offer a similar test at lower cost, out of the market place. Therefore, the cost of the genetic testing for BRCA1 and 2 remained high.  It also discouraged other people from developing newer tests that could detect more gene abnormalities in other cancers as well as many other diseases.

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that the genes, a product of nature, cannot be patented, many more companies will develop tests to identify gene mutations that cause breast, ovarian as well as many other types of cancers.  This will obviously also extend to the detection of mutant genes that cause other common diseases such as heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and metabolic bone disease.

What are some of these genes that can help to determine your risk of cancers?  In breast and ovarian cancer, the genes are BRCA1 and BRCA2, CHEK2, ATM, p53, PTEN, CDH1 and PALB2.  In gastrointestinal cancer (and also cancer of the uterus, prostate cancer, cancer of the kidney and bladder, and cancer of the pancreas or gallbladder), the genes are MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, MIH, and APC.  In melanoma, the genes are CDKN2a, also called p16 and MC1R.  In pancreatic cancer, the genes are PLAB2 and BRCA2.

Obviously, there are lots of mutation in lots of genes!  Having inexpensive tests that can detect mutations in these genes helps all of us to have more access to information about us that can directly affect our own medical decisions.  You can be placed on medications to prevent these diseases and on programs to detect them earlier when they are highly curable.

So here are my tips for you:

• Be sure you check your family history of all diseases to find out your risk of cancer as well as other illnesses.
• Ask your physician if gene testing is appropriate.
• If your doctor does not know, ask for a referral to a specialist (oncologist or genetics counselor) who can tell you if a gene test would help.
• If you have an abnormal gene test, be certain to ask for information about prevention and early detection.  If your doctor does not know, ask for a referral to a specialist or for a second opinion.

Supreme Court decision is a ray of hope for new gene tests

For more information on gene testing, see my book, “Surviving American Medicine”.