The things you need to ask before choosing the genetic testing company
There are many types of genetic products in the market, which can be roughly divided into two categories.
1. Congenital hereditary, such as: disease risk, paternity, personality, etc., generally referred to as susceptibility genes
2. Acquired gene mutations, such as: circulating tumor genes
Some customers may not be very clear. When they read the wording "Cancer Genetic Testing", they mistakenly think that it is to detect cancer. First, they must clearly understand the content of the test. The cancer genetic testing service is referring to the risk of cancer or cancer tumor gene detection.
The former refers to the risk of cancer, and the test results cannot tell you whether you have cancer. It is usually expressed as a percentage of high or low. The latter is whether the gene for detecting tumor cells is present in the body. If it shows a positive result, it can only indicate that some cells in the body are in the stage of mutation or have abnormalities, and the doctor still needs to be further diagnosed clinically.
So correctly, the company is testing the presence of abnormal tumor cell genes in the body, rather than directly testing cancer. If these abnormal tumor cells do not properly intervene, for example, changes in lifestyle habits, dietary changes, etc., it is likely to eventually become a tumor soon. I can teach you a simple way to distinguish. The detection of cancer risk is usually using saliva for testing, and the detection of cell mutations is generally using blood for testing.
In addition, when choosing a genetic test, you should consider your own needs. For example, if you want to know what talents your child has, you can choose some children's talent test. How many items are detected will also affect the acceptability of the test results. It is worth comparing the products provided by several gene testing companies to find one that is closest to your needs.
Of course, price is also a very important consideration. The market positioning of each genetic testing company or intermediary company is different. Some are taking high-end routes, providing quality services, and some are taking convenient and cheap routes. But be careful, you should not only look at the price to determine whether the product is good or bad. Generally, the company charges will consider the following aspects:
1. The technology and time required to test the project. In simple terms, the more complicated, the more expensive.
2. The inspection items, 10 items and 100 items will be different.
3. Using other laboratories for testing or not.
