What is the difference between hereditary (genetic) testing and molecular testing in cancer care? Dr. Heidi Gray defines the tests in simple terms and shares how test results can provide clues that may help guide treatment.
Dr. Heidi Gray is a gynecologic oncologist at Fred Hutch Cancer Center and the division chief of gynecologic oncology and director of gynecologic oncology clinical trials at UW Medicine. Dr. Gray is also a professor in the division of gynecologic oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Learn more about Dr. Gray.
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Transcript
Katherine Banwell:
Dr. Gray, can you explain the difference between molecular testing and hereditary testing as it relates to cancer care?
Dr. Heidi Gray:
That’s a really important question. So, genetic testing is testing based on blood-based testing or your own genes, and looking for mutations that are what we call inherited. So, mutations are changes in your genes that are passed along from generation to generation. And those mutations, some of them can give rise to an increased risk of a variety of different cancers.
So, that’s what encapsulates genetic testing. Molecular testing is really the area focused on testing of the tumors themselves.
So, cancer itself will create a lot of mutations in their cells. And those are not mutations that are passed along again in a genetic fashion, but it’s inherent to the cancer itself. And so, there’s a huge interest and importance of testing tumors for these mutations, because much of that is then based on finding therapeutics that can take advantage of those mutations, or treatments that focus on those mutations.