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Watching for the Red Flags: Genetic Testing in Gastroenterology
In the age of genetics and genomics directing more and more medical choices and treatment, gastroenterologists need an awareness of how those play into their daily practice and patient care.
Healio Gastroenterology took the opportunity to discuss how genetic testing plays a role in colorectal cancer from testing affected patients, to guiding their treatment medically and surgically and to testing their as-yet unaffected relatives.
“Although I think genetic testing provides benefit to patients, the key is selecting the right patients in many cases,” Dale R. Shepard, MD, PhD, FACP, Peer Perspective Board member told Healio Gastroenterology. “The biggest concern in my mind is who is getting tested and why?”
Shepard and other experts, including a genetic counselor, shed light on who these patients are and how a genetic predisposition to additional cancers may affect the management of the patient.
There is also additional information on a newly approved blood test for CRC and other news in the Drug & Device Pipeline. We continue to welcome your feedback on our peer-tested content, which is invaluable to us in our mission to deliver the most important and clinically relevant information to the gastroenterology community.
The EditorsHealio Gastroenterologygastroenterology@healio.com