Garber J E, Patenaude A F
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115-6084, USA.
Cancer Surv. 1995;25:381-97.
Genetic testing for hereditary susceptibility to disease is new. Much has been learned from experience with Huntington's disease and other non-malignant conditions. There are some differences in the case of predisposition testing for cancer: there is often the perception that cancer is preventable and sometimes curable, in contrast to other hereditary conditions. Testing raises many issues new to the medical community and to the public as well. There is great concern that the explosive technology be used responsibly, so that the potential benefits of genetic knowledge are not eclipsed by the risks to autonomy, privacy and justice. Practical concerns about insurability and discrimination may inhibit some at risk individuals from taking advantage of this powerful technology. There has been considerable effort already in the UK, Europe and the USA at the research and social levels to create protection for individuals found to carry genetic susceptibility to disease.
针对疾病遗传易感性的基因检测是一项新技术。从亨廷顿舞蹈症和其他非恶性疾病的检测经验中，我们已经了解到很多信息。癌症易感性检测的情况有所不同：与其他遗传性疾病相比，人们通常认为癌症是可以预防的，有时甚至是可以治愈的。基因检测给医学界和公众带来了许多新问题。人们非常担心这项迅猛发展的技术能否得到合理应用，以免基因知识的潜在益处被对自主权、隐私和公平性的风险所掩盖。对于保险资格和歧视问题的实际担忧，可能会使一些有患病风险的人不敢利用这项强大的技术。英国、欧洲和美国已经在研究和社会层面付出了相当大的努力，为那些被发现携带疾病遗传易感性的个体提供保护。
