Can I have the results from my DNA test?

Thank you for donating a saliva sample. It is going to be so valuable for our research. We now plan to extract DNA from your sample and use it to answer questions about the many roles that genes play in the development of cancer.

One of our main research goals is to develop tools that can more accurately predict an individual person’s risk of cancer. We aim to do this by finding patterns of DNA changes that place people at an increased risk of developing cancer.  Much of the DNA analysis we shall carry out for this is within Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS), using technology that scans the genome for hundreds of thousands of small changes in the DNA code. We shall then compare the patterns of DNA changes in people who go on to develop cancer, with those from people who don’t and see whether specific DNA changes appear more often in people with cancer. We shall then focus further research on these changes and how they might also modify the cancer risk that people have accumulated due to factors in their lifestyle, such as tobacco, alcohol, obesity etc.  We anticipate that this work will take several years.

In responding directly to the FAQ above, we regret that we are not able to provide you with your individual DNA analysis. This is for two main reasons: first, the type of DNA analysis we do for research purposes does not provide data in an interpretable form to share with people; and second, the ethics approval we have for our research requires that any communication regarding an individual research participant’s genetic details be given to you by a genetic counsellor.

Nevertheless, DNA analysis, such as ours, does occasionally produce information that may have clinically important health implications for you or your family. Should this happen, we will seek approval from Cancer Council Victoria’s Human Research Ethics Committee before offering you the option of accessing this information.  Naturally, you may choose to decline to receive this information but if you choose to receive it, it would first need to be confirmed at a government-accredited laboratory and would then be provided to you by a genetic counsellor. Do remember, though, that this would be an uncommon event and may not occur for many years.

You can read more on the Participant Information Sheet or on the FAQ section of our website. If you need further information, please let us know.