Whether or not you’ve ever had genetic testing, you probably know someone that has. Millions of people each year have their DNA analyzed by companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com, seeking out personalized information about their heritage, health and other traits.
“The general public is excited about genetics because it can tell us a lot about our past ancestry and, if the right technology is used, about our future — such as the likelihood of developing certain health problems,” said Tia Moscarello, a genetic counselor with Stanford’s Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease. “These tests are popular for good reason: many people want to be proactive about their health without spending a lot of money or making a trip to the doctor’s office to do it.”
Typically, these direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests are less expensive than more comprehensive, clinical-grade genetic tests obtained through a health care provider.
However, the Food and Drug Administration limits what these companies can say about a consumer’s health. So many people download their raw genetic data obtained from the company, and then upload it to another company’s website for additional interpretation. But their raw data come with a disclaimer stating the information is not validated for accuracy nor intended for medical use.
“To our understanding, raw genetic data doesn’t go through quality control. We and the DTC labs know that raw data may not be accurate,” Moscarello said. For instance, a small study recently showed that 40 percent of genetic variants identified in direct-to-consumer raw data and sent for clinical confirmation were false positives — meaning that the genetic variants weren’t really present.
Moscarello has personally witnessed the impact of these false positives on patients and their families. In a recent commentary in Genetics in Medicine, she and her colleagues describe two cases of false positives seen at Stanford and two more seen at other institutions. These patients received raw data with genetic variants known to be associated with inherited heart conditions that would predispose them to sudden death, she said. Fortunately, a clinical lab determined that the results were incorrect.
Moscarello said she and her co-authors wrote the commentary to call attention to the potential harms of direct-to-consumer raw data interpretation, which extend beyond the potential for inaccurate results. She explained:
Finding out that you or a family member are at risk for an inherited heart condition can be a very emotional, life-changing event. To go through that without an expert to talk to, or perhaps without support systems nearby, was challenging for our patients. They had to wait for an appointment with a genetic counselor who could explain the test and its limitations, and to provide support. That is usually provided prior to genetic testing, so patients can decide if they would like to proceed.
The commentary also discussed the impact that DTC testing is having on the health care system. For the four cases, this burden included the time and expense of four clinical-grade genetic tests, several echocardiograms and electrocardiograms for each patient, multiple visits with physician specialists, an MRI, and the implant and subsequent removal of a cardioverter defibrillator, Moscarello said.
So what can be done? The authors call for more research to determine the frequency and impact of people being affected by false positives in their raw genetic data interpretations. When a result with potential clinical significance is found, they recommend that it be sent for confirmation to a clinical-grade lab. This should occur before the consumer has to undergo costly clinical evaluations and tests, she said, concluding:
It is clear that DTC genetic testing is here to stay, and for good reason. So it’s important to focus on maximizing the benefits of such large-scale, clinician-free testing, while minimizing the harms to consumers.
Collaboration between clinicians, consumers and the DTC genetic testing companies is a priority. I hope that DTC genetic testing companies will work with clinical genetics experts to create educational resources — so that consumers and non-specialist physicians know the data may be inaccurate, and what to do next if something is found.
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