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The ethics of testing for cancer-predisposition genes

  • Chapter
Genetic Predisposition to Cancer

Abstract

The recent advances in molecular genetics have uncovered new ethical dilemmas in cancer genetics as vexed and almost certainly more complex than the disease which has up until now provoked the most debate: Huntington’s disease. Many genes that predispose to cancer have no effect until well into adult life and, as with Huntington’s, important issues arise about predictive genetic tests in fetal, childhood and adult life. Unlike Huntington’s there are sometimes options which may prevent, or at least alter the course of the disease. Nonetheless, there are hereditary cancers where little or no effective screening or treatment is possible, even when presymptomatic testing shows an individual to carry a cancer predisposing gene. Many of the lessons that have been learned from study of Huntington’s can be applied to predictive testing for cancer-predisposition genes [1].

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Authors
  1. Gareth Evans
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  2. Rodney Harris
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Genetics and Clinical Oncology, Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital, Surrey, UK

    Rosalind A. Eeles (Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant) (Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant)

  2. CRC Human Cancer Genetics Research Group, University of Cambridge, UK

    Bruce A. J. Ponder (Director) (Director)

  3. CRC Genetic Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, UK

    Douglas F. Easton (Director) (Director)

  4. Academic Unit of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital, Surrey, UK

    Alan Horwich (Director of Clinical Research) (Director of Clinical Research)

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© 1996 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Evans, G., Harris, R. (1996). The ethics of testing for cancer-predisposition genes. In: Eeles, R.A., Ponder, B.A.J., Easton, D.F., Horwich, A. (eds) Genetic Predisposition to Cancer. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-4501-3_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-4501-3_27

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-412-56580-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-4501-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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