[Next Tilde Café] Genetic Testing for Cancer Predisposition: Would You Want to Know?

About 5-10% of some cancers such as  breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon arise because of inherited mutations. Thanks to significant research efforts being invested in finding these mutations, we now have the ability to scan our genomes to ascertain whether we have the characterized mutations. However, carrying any of these mutations does not mean that one will definitely get that cancer - it merely indicates that one has a higher probability of getting the cancer, when compared with a person who does not carry the mutation. While there can be obvious benefits knowing whether you carry a relevant mutation, it can also lead to several unanswered and perhaps unanswerable questions. In this science café discussion, Ellen Matloff will talk about the ramifications of the information gained from genetic testing for cancer predisposition. Ellen was recently interviewed on WNPR in the context of patenting human genes, a case [Assn. Molec. Path. et al. v. USPTO et al. ("ACLU/Myriad", a/k/a "the gene patenting case")] that is likely to be reviewed by the US Supreme Court very soon.

Please click here if you plan on attending this café discussion - http://www.tildecafe.org/Home/number-attending-next-cafe-discussion

Attendance is free and open to all.