Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22260407›Full record

ArticleBMC medical genomics2012

The role of disease characteristics in the ethical debate on personal genome testing.

Eline M Bunnik, Maartje Hn Schermer, A Cecile J W Janssens

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical genomics, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Ethical challenges in teaching genetics for medical students.Journal of microbiology & biology education · 2014
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Genomic sequencing for psychiatric disorders: promise and challenge.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2013
    Article
  12. Article
  13. How the electronic health record will change the future of health care.The Yale journal of biology and medicine · 2012
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Eline M BunnikDept. of Medical Ethics and Philosophy of Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, Rotterdam 3015 GE, the Netherlands. e.bunnik@erasmusmc.nl
Maartje Hn Schermer
A Cecile J W Janssens

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCompanies are currently marketing personal genome tests directly-to-consumer that provide genetic susceptibility testing for a range of multifactorial diseases simultaneously. As these tests comprise multiple risk analyses for multiple diseases, they may be difficult to evaluate. Insight into morally relevant differences between diseases will assist researchers, healthcare professionals, policy-makers and other stakeholders in the ethical evaluation of personal genome tests. DISCUSSION: In this paper, we identify and discuss four disease characteristics--severity, actionability, age of onset, and the somatic/psychiatric nature of disease--and show how these lead to specific ethical issues. By way of illustration, we apply this framework to genetic susceptibility testing for three diseases: type 2 diabetes, age-related macular degeneration and clinical depression. For these three diseases, we point out the ethical issues that are relevant to the question whether it is morally justifiable to offer genetic susceptibility testing to adults or to children or minors, and on what conditions. SUMMARY: We conclude that the ethical evaluation of personal genome tests is challenging, for the ethical issues differ with the diseases tested for. An understanding of the ethical significance of disease characteristics will improve the ethical, legal and societal debate on personal genome testing.

Indexed as

AdultAge of OnsetDepressive DisorderDiabetes Mellitus, Type 2DiseaseGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenetic TestingGenome, HumanHumansMacular DegenerationPrecision MedicineSocial StigmaYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID22260407
PMCPMC3293088

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.