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Gastric Cancer Comprehensive Panel

The Gastric Cancer Comprehensive Panel is an analysis of 15 genes associated with an increased risk for hereditary gastric cancer. Many of these genes are associated with increased risk for other cancer types as well, such as breast and colon cancers that are often associated with an increased risk as part of a larger cancer syndrome that gastric cancer is also a feature of. Consequently, this is a comprehensive analysis for increased gastric cancer risk whether it occurs in isolation or as part of a larger cancer syndrome.

Most Appropriate Patient Population for Testing:

Patients with a personal or family history suggestive of a hereditary gastric cancer syndrome. Indications for hereditary gastric cancer include cancer diagnoses in the patient or a family member at age 50 or younger, more than one primary cancer in a single person (patient or family member), and multiple affected people within a family with a history of gastric, breast, ovarian, and/or colon cancer.

Benefits of Testing:

Patients identified through genetic testing to be at increased risk for hereditary forms of cancer can
benefit from increased surveillance and preventative steps to better manage their risk. Although cancer cannot be prevented; if a patient is identified to be genetically at increased risk for cancer, having this information allows for appropriate screening and surveillance which can lead to an earlier diagnosis of and improve outcomes. Also, if a patient tests positive then the patient’s family members can be tested to help define their risk. If a pathogenic variant is identified in the patient, close blood relatives (children, siblings, parents) have a 50% risk to also have this same genetic variant and be at increased cancer risk.