Genetic testing: Should children be tested?
Growing number of parents may favor finding out
It's the ethical spectre that emerges with every advance in genetic testing. Should children be tested for gene mutations that predispose them to developing serious illnesses later in life?
New research suggests the next generation of parents may support testing minors even when any steps to reduce that risk will be postponed until adulthood — a finding that challenges current policies.
In a study in the February American Journal of Medical Genetics, researchers surveyed 53 BRCA mutation carriers who had children younger than 25 years of age at the time they received their genetic test result, and 22 adult offspring of those parents. The majority of parent participants were mothers (89%) although the offspring included both sons (45%) and daughters (55%). Interview subjects were recruited through the University of Chicago Cancer Risk Clinic.
Combining the responses of parents and offspring, 40% supported genetic testing of minors with half in favor only in certain circumstances. A majority of sons and daughters — potential consumers of genetic testing — supported testing minors.
"The latter finding is interesting," says lead author Angela Bradbury, MD, of Philadelphia's Fox Chase Cancer Center. "It signals that the next generation may be more comfortable with genetic testing. This could be because their generation grew up with genetics, learning about it in school or from the news, unlike their parents. To them, genetic testing may not be exceptional."
A majority of professional groups recommend against the genetic testing of minors in the absence of medical benefit. Carriers of BRCA1/2 mutations will not necessarily develop cancer, but their risk is increased. Men with an alteration face an increased risk of developing prostate, breast, and pancreatic cancer. Women with a BRCA alteration are at an increased risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer. Risk reduction options such as prophylactic surgeries, heightened surveillance, and chemoprevention are generally not recommended before the age of 25.
"We already know that many adults who choose to undergo genetic testing do it for their children's sake, so it's not a far stretch to imagine that parents might grapple with whether or not their children should be tested," explains Bradbury, director of the Margaret Dyson Family Risk Assessment Program at Fox Chase. Bradbury says while the results are interesting, they are exploratory and need to be reproduced in a larger and broader sample.
"Nonetheless, there is urgency for more research because current policies advising against genetic testing for minors may not hold up," she says. "Increased demand and availability of testing dictates a need to better understand the risks and benefits of early counseling and/or testing."
Proponents of testing minors have argued there is harm in uncertainty and withholding information and the potential for later misdiagnosis. Other arguments in favor of testing include the fostering of autonomous decision-making abilities. Additionally, many argue that parents and their children are more likely than health care professionals to most appropriately assess the risks and benefits of testing an individual child.
Those opposed to testing argue that the development of mature decision making is variable during adolescence and letting parents make testing decisions for their minor children violates the future autonomy of offspring. Others cite potential adverse psychological consequences to early testing including increased disease-related distress and anxiety, distortion of family relationships, interference in normal development of self-concept, and feelings of unworthiness.
"Despite this debate, empirical data to support either argument are lacking, especially in the setting of families affected by BRCA mutations," Bradbury concludes.
Sources
For more information:
- Bradbury AR, Patrick-Miller L, Pawlowski K, et al. Should genetic testing for BRCA1/2 be permitted for minors? Opinions of BRCA mutation carriers and their adult offspring. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet 2008;148:70-77.
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