Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Many parents disclose results of genetic tests related to cancer to children

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A new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reports that more than half of the parents who have been tested for the BRCA mutation have told the results of the tests to their children (under the age of 25 years old). Some parents reported that their children didn't seem to grasp the significance of the results and some children had negative reactions.

According to the study's author, Angela Bradbury, M.D., more research is needed to understand the impact of communicating this type of information to children.

Genetic testing for adult-onset diseases is discouraged until the age at which interventions could be taken.

What do you think about parents telling their children about the results of such genetic tests? Is this open communication a good thing or could it just be giving children something to worry about before they are ready?

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[Source: The Cancer Blog]

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