Genetic Risk Scores (GRSs): Ready for Inclusion in the Medical Record?

Conclusions: Polygenic hazard scores can be used for personalised genetic risk estimates that can predict for age at onset of aggressive PCa.We are on the cusp of the emergence of proposals to pursue broad predictive genetic screening for cancer (see: Broader Genetic Testing for Cancers May Benefit Population Health). Such screening will inevitably lead to the reporting of"actionable" results to patients' physicians and inclusion in the EHR. In the paper cited above, it was shown that the analysis of a patient's DNA SNIPs can be used to calculate a GRS that predicts the age of onset for aggressive cancer of the prostate.An important question regarding GRSs for prostate cancer is how such a score would be integrated into a care plan. It seems logical that a GRS would be an important data point that would be taken under consideration for a patient in, say, an active prostate surveillance program. Here is a quote from an article that defines the parameters for active surveillance patients (see:Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer: How to Do It Right):Active surveillance is a conservative management approach, conducted for those patients with “low-risk” or “favorable-risk” disease, which avoids long-term adverse effects on the patient’s quality of life. It is characterized by a routine protocol of close monitoring with digital rectal examination, periodic biopsy, and serial PSA testing....[A]ctive surveillance is broadly appropriate for men wi...
Source: Lab Soft News - Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Source Type: blogs