It’s been found that 1-in-6 healthy adults carries a serious health-related genetic risk. To gain significant medical insights based on your DNA consider proactive genetic testing. Genetic testing can help provide answers to essential health questions such as what is one’s risk of developing cancer in their lifetime. Toronto Dermatology Centre, now offers genetic testing to patients to help guide cancer screening and other decisions related to patient’s health.
What we can do?
This genetic test will help give you insights into important health risks you may—or may not—have based on genetic variants in your DNA. Testing more than 60 different genes can help guide preventive measures to help keep you healthy.
What we can’t do?
The results of this test will not tell you for sure if you will develop a condition. Instead, this test helps you understand if you have an increased risk of developing the condition. In addition, the results of this test will have no implications on your ability to get health and life insurance and you will never be required to disclosure your results according to the Genetic Non-Discrimination Act in Canada.
Understanding your test results
The test helps uncover what your DNA says about your health by analyzing genes related to a wide range of important health conditions. Understanding your genetic risks can help you and our doctor take steps to protect your health and build a proactive—and personalized—plan focused on prevention.
The panel determines whether you are at an increased risk to develop more than 45 inherited conditions, including:
- Breast cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Cutaneous melanoma
- Gastric cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Renal cell cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Uterine cancer
- Additional hereditary cancer conditions
At Toronto Dermatology Centre, we focus on testing genes related to cancer conditions. If you are at increased risk for an inherited condition, you can work with our doctors to determine the best prevention or treatment strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Discuss your decision to pursue testing with our surgical oncologist, Dr. Jory Simpson
- Provide a saliva sample
- Sample will be sent to laboratory, your DNA will be tested and we will receive your results in 10–21 days on average
- Based on your results, you can consider preventive measures with our doctor
- Our doctors may also suggest post-test genetic counseling to help you and your family better understand your results
- If you receive a positive test result, this means that your test found a genetic change that may increase your risk of developing a specific medical condition.
- Working with our doctor, you can implement prevention strategies to help reduce your risk.
- Since genetic information is shared within families, you may also want to discuss the possible implications for other members of your family.
- You may also receive a result that indicates that you carry a genetic change that does not increase your own risk of developing a specific medical condition, but that may be passed within your family (also known as carrier status).
- A negative result means that you do not have a clearly increased genetic risk for the conditions tested on this panel, based on current knowledge.
- Even with a negative genetic test result, proactive medical care and a healthy lifestyle are essential to your overall well-being and longevity.
Genetic testing is not an OHIP-insured service.
The fee is $1000 +hst which includes consultation, genetic testing and follow-up appointment.
The service may be covered by health spending accounts or extended benefits. Check with your plan today.
Toronto Dermatology Centre is located in Toronto, Ontario, and serves men and women in North York, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, York, Aurora, Thornhill, Mississauga, Scarborough, Brampton, Etobicoke, Pickering, Peterborough, Guelph, Kitchener, Oakville, Barrie and all of Greater Toronto (GTA).
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