Family History “Remains Most Valuable Genetic Test”
Pathologists Discuss State of Genetic Testing at World Congress of Pathology
Dateline: Sydney, Australia- New-fangled technology is making genetic testing and molecular diagnostics ever more precise tools to aid clinicians, but at least two internationally-respected experts in genetics still consider family history to be a primary-if not the most useful-source of knowledge about a patient’s genetic risk factors. Both experts were in Sydney, Australia, to speak at the XXV World Congress of Pathology which took place on March 13-15, 2009.
“Family history remains the most valuable genetic test available to us today,” declared Michael S. Watson, Ph.D., Executive Director of the American College of Medical Genetics in Rockville, Maryland, in his presentation titled “Translation of Genetic Information into Healthcare Use.” He discussed the importance of building a multi-dimensional health record that included family history and would follow the patient from cradle to grave. (more…)
