Does Personalized Genomic Risk of Melanoma Triggers Family Conversations?

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that arises in the melanocyte cells of the skin. Personalized genomic risk of melanoma might trigger conversations about skin cancer prevention and skin examinations with family and health professionals, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Dermatology

After participants received a booklet explaining their estimated genomic risk based on salivary DNA testing, 74% discussed their information with relatives and 49% discussed it with friends.

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‘Sharing personalized melanoma genomic risk with others might increase impact on melanoma prevention and skin examination behaviors.’

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A smaller proportion discussed their data with health professionals, and that number was greater for individuals with high genetic risk (41%) than average (16%) or low risk (12%).

"Sharing this information with others might increase its impact on melanoma prevention and skin examination behaviours, and this process could be used to encourage healthy behaviour change within families," wrote the authors of the study, which was published with an accompanying editorial.

Source-Eurekalert

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