3 Topic Commentaries

Newborn variants may flag childhood cancer predisposition

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  Richard B. Parad, MD, MPH

  Neonatology

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  Harvard Medical School; Brigham and Women’s Hospital

  Genomic newborn screening, the sequencing of DNA extracted from heel-stick samples, provides a platform for identifying children at high risk for early cancer in order to institute vetted surveillance protocols.

  Source
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  Lisa Diller, MD

  Pediatric Oncology

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  Harvard Medical School; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

  I take care of families who carry genes associated with increased risks of childhood cancer —they have a predisposition syndrome that ‘runs’ in the family. When a new baby is born in that family, we test the child. If that child has the familial mutation, my job is to make sure that if that child develops a tumor, or even a pre-tumor, we catch it early, which may allow for less toxic therapies and better outcomes.

  Source
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  Alan Beggs, PhD

  Pediatric Genetics/Genomics

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  Boston Children’s Hospital; Harvard Medical School

  Sequencing results have the potential to raise questions that may be upsetting for parents, but could also lead to helpful or even lifesaving interventions.

  Source