Originally published July 30 2005
DNA test could pinpoint breast cancer risk
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A DNA test can pinpoint a person's breast cancer risk, but it is not infallible, claims DNADirect.com.
Tens of thousands of people in Missouri and Kansas will be diagnosed with some form of cancer this year alone.
An Internet-based company claims that knowing about your genes could help you stay healthy, and its researchers have developed a way to test your genetic makeup from the privacy of your own home.
The company, DNADirect.com, provides a personal genetic testing kit to clients, then tests their results before offering a risk profile.
Phelan said the company's tests show whether someone is prone to breast and ovarian cancers, blood clotting disorders and other illnesses, such as cystic fibrosis.
"It was to the point where if we hadn't caught it, and gotten it out through surgery, it was getting ready to erupt into cancer," Jenson said.
Jenson's daughter, Danielle Arterburn, said she fears that she could have a good chance of developing the disease.
Phelan said the company mails clients a test kit package with a cheek swab that is used to take a sample.
"We really walk them through the steps that they can take to really be a much smarter health care consumer," Phelan said.
Although the tests are generally accepted as a good indicator for disease risk, some physicians worry that most people won't understand the results.
Dr. John Mulvihill, the director of the Human Genetics Program at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, said he has no doubt that the tests are correct.
"I would want her to get as much information (as possible) that is at her disposal -- but I would want her to have that backed by her physician," Jenson said.
The cancer test costs the most and requires a blood test instead of a cheek swab.
Those tests can also be performed for a fee at some hospitals, and the cost is about the same.
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