A vaccine against cancers caused by Lynch syndrome — an inherited disorder — will be among the first to test if a vaccine can stop nonviral cancers from appearing. The Lynch trial is among several looking to test a new generation of preventative cancer vaccines.
Recently, scientists have discovered that a type of immune cell known as a T cell is capable of recognizing the unique signatures of a tumor cell — and giving them the business.
Therapies designed to increase T cell’s killing power and ability to target cancer after it appears have already been approved, and they can be quite successful at treating some cancers. (More recent work is recruiting another type of immune cell, the awesomely named natural killer cells, to fight cancer.)
Medical literacy is important, but not everybody is medically educated. Sometimes it is hard for the patient to know every detail and to know what is significant and potentially life-threatening and what isn’t and what questions to ask. It should be the duty of the doctors and the labs to explicitly, and in simple terms, explain what a positive or out-of-range test might mean for the patient – and sometimes even relatives.
I sit down with my cousin from another mother Pat Fahey, founder of Lynch Syndrome Ireland. Pat talks about his long lost sister in the States and her history with cancer and how she found him. Pat talks about why he started LS Ireland and his associate Roberta Horgan. https://www.aliveandkickn.org/podcast/episode/1aaf3ec6/aliveandkickn-podcast-pat-fahey.
This pretty sound piece of legislation prohibits the insurance companies from asking about genetic tests
When you apply for life insurance, you must disclose a certain amount of personal information, such as:
Family medical history
Personal medical history – Your insurer may ask for access to your medical records, but you have to provide your permission for this.
Your age
Height & weight
Whether you are a smoker or a drinker
Any prescription drugs you take
Your occupation – high-risk occupations can increase your premiums)
Any hazardous hobbies you take part in
Star sign
Pet’s name
Mother maiden name
How many photos contain traffic lights
And that’s just to name a few.
Insurers are pretty damn thorough when it comes to how they calculate your life insurance premium.
They’ll ask for as much information as they can get away with, but any genetic testing results you have are a no-fly zone. (www.lion.ie)
You won’t find a genetic testing question on a life insurance application, but you will find the following guidance:
However, it is important that you are aware that in accordance with the provisions of Part 4 of the Disability Act 2005 you should NOT disclose the result of any Genetic (DNA or RNA) test. Some medical conditions are genetic and can be passed from generation to generation. Advances in medical science have made it possible in certain circumstances to take a genetic test and to ascertain if a specific condition has been passed on. If you have had such a genetic test then you should not disclose it.
And if you look hard enough, you will also spot this paragraph:
You must disclose if you are having treatment for, experiencing symptoms of, or having investigations (other than a genetic test) for a genetic condition as well as disclosing all other conditions.
However, it is important that you are aware that in accordance with the provisions of Part 4 of the Disability Act 2005 you should NOT disclose the result of any Genetic (DNA or RNA) test. Some medical conditions are genetic and can be passed from generation to generation. Advances in medical science have made it possible in certain circumstances to take a genetic test and to ascertain if a specific condition has been passed on. If you have had such a genetic test then you should not disclose it.
And if you look hard enough, you will also spot this paragraph:
You must disclose if you are having treatment for, experiencing symptoms of, or having investigations (other than a genetic test) for a genetic condition as well as disclosing all other conditions.
An update on the latest research for people with Lynch syndrome. Presented by Matthew Yurgelun, MD (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute). (FORCE 2021 Conference)