The news has been filled recently with talk of the discovery of new cancer genes.  But what do these new discoveries mean to you? Lynn Canavan, MD, breast surgeon on the Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano medical staff helps answer questions about genetic testing for cancer.

What is genetic testing?

Gene testing usually involves taking cells from a blood sample to examine a person's DNA for alterations linked to a disease. There are various types of genetic tests, including those that identify variations in a complete chromosome, others that look at small areas of DNA within genes, and those that look for the protein products of genes.

Oncology physicians may use gene testing to assist in making a cancer diagnosis, to categorize cancer into subtypes, or to help foresee how well a patient will respond to various treatments.

What is the human genome project?

The Human Genome Project is an international collaboration by scientists to determine and map out 25,000 genes associated with various diseases. This information is helpful in determining where gene mutations take place in specific diseases.

Scientists now use data from the Human Genome Project to find and further study specific genes on a chromosome.

What genetic testing is available for cancer?

Gene tests are available for a few cancers, including breast and ovarian cancer. Precise genetic mutations have been linked to a number of cancers, and, for some cancer types, clinical tests have been established.