(Courtesy of JScreen) JScreen, www.jscreen.org a national public health initiative based out of Emory University School of Medicine’s Department of Human Genetics, adds yet another way to save lives with the successful hard launch of its CancerGEN testing initiative. This new JScreen initiative offers at-home testing for more than 60 cancer susceptibility genes associated with hereditary risks for breast, ovarian, prostate, colorectal, skin and many other cancers.
During the pandemic we have all learned how critical it is to take healthcare into your own hands. With Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Prostate and Ovarian Cancer Awareness months in the fall, and the staggering statistics showing that half of all men and a third of all women will develop cancer during their lifetime, JScreen understands the importance of giving people a heads up if they have a hereditary risk for cancer. This not-for-profit home education and genetic screening program started in 2013 with reproductive genetic testing called ReproGEN, and now tests for risk for over 40 types of hereditary cancer with the addition of the CancerGEN test.
“Making cancer genetic testing accessible is key,” said Jane Lowe Meisel, MD, Associate Professor of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine, and medical director for JScreen’s cancer program. “This type of testing is important because it alerts people to their risks before they get cancer. They can then take action to help prevent cancer altogether or to detect it at an early, treatable stage.”
Getting tested through JScreen is easy. All you have to do to receive your simple at-home test is sign up online, provide a saliva sample and use pre-paid postage to mail it in, making JScreen.org pandemic proof since before the pandemic! JScreen’s tests use state-of-the-art genetic sequencing technology to ensure highly accurate results. The robust cancer testing panel includes genes that are actionable, meaning there is something that can be done to help prevent cancer if a person tests positive. JScreen provides risk information in the record-breaking time of three weeks or less. Importantly, licensed genetic counselors provide consults via phone or secure video conferencing to ensure that people understand their results.
One of JScreen’s goals is to make testing affordable. ReproGEN currently costs $149 and CancerGEN is $199. JScreen also offers need-based financial assistance. The proof of JScreen’s passion for saving lives is in the incredible stories they hear, the healthy babies that are born and the people that can now take action to avoid a cancer diagnosis. As the JScreen team likes to say – “we are a small team with a huge footprint.”
“Knowledge is power. With an understanding and awareness of their cancer risks and available options, individuals can work with their health-care providers on next steps,” said Karen Arnovitz Grinzaid, MS, CGC, Assistant Professor of Human Genetics at Emory University School of Medicine, and JScreen’s Executive Director. “Launching our new cancer program and providing convenient and affordable access to cancer genetic testing across the US will help save lives.”
