What is traditional genetic testing?
A. Like the new genome scans being marketed to consumers, traditional genetic testing looks for variations in a person’s genes by examining body fluids or tissues. A major difference is that traditional genetic tests focus on specific variations in a single gene known with certainty to be the cause of a rare disease, and genetic testing usually is ordered by a doctor working closely with a patient. Doctors are looking for evidence of a specific disease when they order traditional genetic testing; for example, if they know that a disease runs in a person’s family.
