Health

GP surgeries will offer DNA tests to patients to identify those at increased risk of disease


PATIENTS will be offered DNA tests in GP surgeries to identify those at increased risk of disease for the first time.

The checks will allow doctors to pinpoint those most likely to develop cancer, heart disease and other illnesses.

 Health chiefs hope to boost survival rates by spotting diseases earlier or preventing them from occurring in the first place

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Health chiefs hope to boost survival rates by spotting diseases earlier or preventing them from occurring in the first placeCredit: Getty – Contributor

Medics can then offer high-risk patients healthy lifestyle advice, different drugs or more regular screening invites.

They hope to boost survival rates by spotting diseases earlier or preventing them from occurring in the first place.

The trial will be led by the Institute of Cancer Research, which will examine the entire genetic code of 1,000 people.

It will report on 600 genetic changes known to be associated with diseases or how the body reacts to certain medicines.

This includes those that increase the risk of breast, ovarian, prostate and colon cancers, blood clots and high cholesterol.

But the checks will not look for genes linked to Alzheimer’s because there is no cure and the result may cause anxiety.

Nurses will ask to take a blood sampleblood sampleblood sample from patients who have visited their GP with any medical concerns, such as a cold.

‘INCREDIBLE PROGRESS’

The project will initially recruit from a private GP clinic in Chelsea, West London, before widening to some NHS surgeries.

The scheme could be rolled out nationwide if patients like the tests and doctors think they are useful in improving care.

Study leader Prof Ros Eeles said: “We’ve seen incredible progress over the last quarter of a century in identifying genetic alterations that are linked to the risk of disease, opening up the possibility to intervene early to improve patients’ health.”

“Our new initiative takes cutting-edge science on the genetics of disease into a primary care setting. We hope genetic screening is practical as a way of picking up genes associated with cancer and heart disease, is psychologically acceptable to patients, and can alter the way they are managed by their GP.”

“The project will give us crucial information about whether genetic screening in primary care could be feasible, and how we should go about seeking to implement it within the NHS.”

Dr Michael Sandberg, a GP at the private clinic, said: “Genetic information will help us to target and identify high-risk patients, so as to find diseases at an earlier stage and give greater precision to screening and health optimisation in general practice.”

“There is no doubt that primary care is the future setting for whole-genome screening which will be carried out by specially trained practice nurses supported by GPs and consultant geneticists.”

Patients will also be offered a physical heart examination and given access to consultant geneticists to discuss the results.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has previously revealed plans to DNA test newborn babies to identify those at risk of disease.

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