In this "Test in Focus" episode of the "Answers From the Lab" podcast, Wei Shen, Ph.D., discusses Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ new hereditary oncology test offerings, which use next-generation sequencing to detect germline alterations associated with increased risk for various cancers. Our comprehensive panels, disease-specific panels, and single gene assays leverage the clinical expertise of Mayo Clinic physicians, enabling individualized insights on a patient’s risk of developing secondary cancers or a hereditary cancer syndrome.

“We know inherited genetic alterations contribute to about 10% to 20% of cancers overall,” Dr. Shen says. “However, more studies are showing that universal genetic testing actually detects more patients with hereditary cancer syndromes than a guideline-based approach.”

Test results can indicate the likelihood of a clinical diagnosis of a hereditary cancer syndrome, advance understanding of a patient’s risk of developing additional cancers, assist in management and treatment decisions, and rule out hereditary causes, Dr. Shen says. The biggest benefit of using Mayo Clinic testing, however, is access to expert-backed testing across the oncological spectrum.

“Cancers can result from both somatic and germline mutations,” Dr. Shen says. “This series of new genetic panels completes our comprehensive cancer testing menu and allows us to offer a one-stop shop genetic service to physicians and cancer patients.”

Listen to learn more.

Note: Podcasts will not playback on Internet Explorer. Please use an alternative web browser, or listen from your mobile device on a preferred listening app.

Testing

XCP  | Hereditary Expanded Panel

COMCP  | Hereditary Common Cancer Panel

The latest from Test in Focus

Assay monitors response to monoclonal antibody therapy: Maria Alice Willrich, Ph.D.

April 16, 2024

Maria Alice Willrich, Ph.D., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' new assay provides therapeutic drug monitoring of risankizumab, or RISA. Test results help guide care for patients with plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and Crohn's disease.

Noninvasive plasma biomarker testing provides faster answers: Alicia Algeciras-Schimnich, Ph.D. 

April 9, 2024

Alicia Algeciras-Schimnich, Ph.D., discusses Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ new noninvasive plasma biomarker assay for Alzheimer’s disease, an accessible, highly accurate testing option for individuals age 50 and above who are experiencing mild cognitive impairment or early dementia. Positive test results can confirm amyloid beta pathology and facilitate access to disease-modifying therapies.

Assay identifies rare tick-borne bacteria: Bobbi Pritt, M.D.

April 2, 2024

Bobbi Pritt, M.D., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' new assay identifies less-common tick-borne bacteria in whole blood. The assay is recommended when tick-borne bacterial infection is suspected but standard testing is unrevealing.

View MoreView Less