My healthcare
Genomics and my healthcare
In the last 20 years or so the field of genetic and genomic testing has advanced rapidly. The development of new tests and techniques has shaped how the testing is used in our NHS.
But what is genomic medicine:
You may be offered genetic testing for a variety of reasons during a healthcare journey:
To confirm the diagnosis of a genetic disease, rare diseases can often be diagnoses in this way
This is carried out to assess how your genome may impact your risk of developing a specific disease, for instance if your family has a strong history of a specific type of cancer
For specific treatments, we know that a person’s genome can impact how they respond to a drug or what side effects they may get. You could be offered genetic testing before starting new treatments.
In many cancers, there are targeted treatments that can specifically treat certain genetic changes in cancer cells. You may be offered tumour testing as part of your cancer treatment.
Head to the Genomics Education Programme website if you are interested in finding out more about the science behind genomic testing.