Company Says Test Judges Breast Cancer Risk
(Undated) -- A biotech company today begins offering the first genetic test to assess a woman's risk for the most common forms of breast cancer. As the country marks National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the "Washington Post" reports the test by Decode Genetics promises to determine a woman's risk through a simple blood sample or cheek swab. Kari Stefansson, Decode's chief executive, says the test allows women to assess their personal risk for the common forms of breast cancer that will allow them to take preventative measures.
Not everyone agrees the 16-hundred-dollar test will perform as promised. Eric Winer, a breast cancer expert at Harvard Medical School, says he fears the results, quote, "could be quite misleading" for many women and that there is at least a "significant chance" the test could falsely reassure some women and alarm others. An FDA spokeswoman says the agency has just become aware of the new test. She couldn't say whether the governmental agency would take any action, although she noted that in August the agency sent a letter expressing concern to another company marketing what she called a questionable genetic test for ovarian cancer. |