Search Results for: breast cancer
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Some Doctors Don’t Care About Mail-Ordered DNA Test Results
Mar 29
Genealogists have access to many different direct-to-consumer genetic testing kits. Pick the company you like best, send out a DNA sample, and you might learn about something in your genes that could increase the risk of developing a certain disease (or passing that disease onto your child). Don't be surprised if your doctor doesn't care about th...
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The Limitations of DNA Test Kits for Americans
Jan 12
Genealogists take DNA tests for two reasons. One is because the results could reveal relatives that they were unaware of. The other reason has to do with health. Some DNA tests can reveal whether or not a person has genes that might increase the risk for certain diseases. However, there is a limitation on DNA test kits for Americans – one that is...
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Why Angelina Jolie Pitt had Surgery
Apr 20
Angelina Jolie Pitt wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times in which she explained her decision to have her ovaries surgically removed. This decision came after a previous decision to have her breasts removed. The reason she made those choices has to do with genetics and her risk of cancer. Genealogists often put together family trees. Th...
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Happy Genetics Starts With Unexpectedly Healthy People
Dec 10
Genealogists sometimes discover that a certain disease or condition “runs in their family”. Often, people choose to have their DNA tested because they have reason to be concerned about developing the disease that their relatives had. There is a more positive way to view DNA testing. It is referred to as “happy genetics” and it involves l...
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Thanksgiving is National Family History Day!
Nov 24
Thanksgiving is a holiday that many people celebrate by getting together with family. It can, sometimes, involve meeting with relatives that you don't get to see very often. It seems very natural that National Family History Day falls on the same day as Thanksgiving. Have you heard of National Family History Day? The U.S. Surgeon General firs...
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The FDA has ordered 23andMe to stop marketing its Personal Genome Service
Nov 26
Most genealogists have heard of 23andMe. They offer services that can be interesting to people who are trying to learn more about their family tree. 23AndMe offers a service that can connect you to other users who share similar DNA. The thing that 23andMe is the most noted for, however, is their DNA testing kits. A person buys a kit, sends out...
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23andMe Improves BRCA Report For Communities Underrepresented In Genetic Testing
Sep 11
Building on our first FDA authorization for a direct-to-consumer genetic health risk test for cancer, 23andMe received clearance this week to expand the number of genetic test variants covered in our BRAC1/BRAC2 (Selected variants) Genetic Health Risk report. These additional variants are all known to be associated with higher risk for brea...
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Understanding Ashkenazi Jewish Ancestry & Genetics
Jul 25
The history and culture of Ashkenazi Jewish people, the waves of persecution, pogroms, and communal isolation over centuries, help explain the genetic uniqueness of Ashkenazi ancestry and it’s implications on health, 23andMe wrote. While people of Ashkenazi ancestry have deep roots in eastern and central Europe, their ancestral lines tra...
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23andMe Acquired Lemonaid Health
May 10
23andMe announced another step toward unlocking the power of genetic health information. 23andMe acquired Lemonaid Health, a telemedicine company, last fall. Instead of being treated for an illness, most of us would prefer to avoid getting sick in the first place. But in large measure, our health care system isn’t geared for that. It’...
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Quest Diagnostics Launched NGS Engine to Power AncestryHealth
Aug 20
A new innovation in advanced genetic sequencing automation from Quest Diagnostics will now enable individuals to access highly accurate genetic testing providing insights into inherited diseases including cancers of the breast, colon, and other conditions through AncestryHealth. Quest developed a faster and cheaper way to perform next gener...