Do you have a history of cancer in your family?

Our Inherited Cancer Panel analyses over 152 different genes associated with a wide range of hereditary cancers (including BRCA1, BRCA2 & PALB2) and screens for the most common cancer-causing mutations.

This specialized panels covers a wide range of hereditary cancers, including Ovarian, Breast, Prostate, Colorectal and Skin Cancers, to mention a few.

What can the Inherited Cancer Panel be used for?

Genetic testing is the only way to confirm whether you carry certain hereditary gene mutations that may be responsible for certain cancers. This screening test can be used to identify gene mutations responsible for hereditary cancers within the family and to determine which family members may be at risk.

Cancers that have grown or spread to other organs (a process known as metastasization) are more difficult to treat and patients at a higher risk should be examined more frequently. Addressing the problem at an early stage dramatically increases the chances of successful treatment. The Inherited Cancer Panel can serve as a powerful tool, that can arm your specialist with the information needed to help you prepare for the future and potentially help you to make any necessary changes to reduce your risks of developing certain cancers.

How is testing performed at EasyDNA?

Our inherited cancer panel has been designed based on scientific up-to-date literature, disease research databases and consultation with key opinion leaders. It screens for the most common cancer-causing mutations in over 130 different genes associated with a wide range of hereditary cancers:

This screening test requires a medical blood draw from which DNA is extracted. Our testing is performed using Massive Parallel Sequencing (Next Generation Sequencing), which allows sensitive mutation detection and analysis of coding regions of the genes, including exon-intron boundaries.

Important:

The Inherited Cancer Panel requires genetic counselling from a certified professional and must be handled by a doctor/medical practitioner. Upon confirmation of your order, we will send you an email with the Referral forms your doctor or counsellor will complete and return (Fax) to us for approval before your sample collection kit is sent out. The results will be sent directly to the doctor or counsellor who will then discuss them with you.

If you are a family member and/or would like to talk to a genetic counsellor, please contact our customer care team and they will help you to find a qualified professional for the test you are considering.

Your confirmation email will also include a recommendation for one of our affiliated Pathology Collection Centres close to you.

Please note, your sample collection kit will include a referral for the pathology for your blood collection.

What is an inherited trait and how is a genetic disorder passed on to the child?

“An inherited trait is one that is genetically determined. Inherited traits are passed from parent to offspring according to the rules of Mendelian genetics. Most traits are not strictly determined by genes, but rather are influenced by both genes and environment” – The National Human Genome Research Institute.

In our cells, every individual normally has 23 pairs of chromosomes, a total of 46. Out of these 23 pairs, 22 are called autosomes and look the same in both males and females. The 23rd pair are the so-called sex chromosomes and determines the biological gender of an individual. Females have 2 copies of an X chromosome (XX), while males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome (XY). One chromosome in each pair is inherited from the mother and the other copy is inherited from the father. The chromosomes are long DNA-molecules and is where most of our genetic information is stored.

Our DNA, and consequently, our genes, are made up of even smaller molecules called nucleotides. These nucleotides carry instructions for how different proteins in our body should be built. Differences in the sequences of nucleotides, so called mutations, can cause changes to the way the proteins function, which can result in a new trait, or sometimes in a disease or disorder.

Some traits and diseases can be caused by changes in one single gene. In these cases, the genetic diseases can be inherited in two different ways which are referred to as:

• Dominant inheritance
• Recessive inheritance

When a disease is inherited in a dominant manner, it is enough with only one defective gene (inherited from one of the parents) for the affected individual to get the disease symptoms. Individuals with a dominantly inherited defective gene have a 50% chance of passing on this gene to their children. The child would have 1 normal copy of the gene and another defective copy.

A recessive gene will only manifest itself in the child if he or she inherited 2 copies of the defective gene – one from the mother and one from the father. The child has a 25% chance of inheriting both copies of the defective gene (one copy from each parent) and a 50% chance of inheriting just one copy of the defective gene from either their mother or their father. In these cases, the parents may be unaffected themselves, but are carriers of the defective gene, and in the same manner if the child inherits just one single copy from one of their parents, they too will be carriers.