Genetic susceptibility testing: ethical and social quandaries

Breast cancer in the United States continues to be a serious public health problem that affects individuals, families, and society. The simultaneous rapid progress in mapping the human genome, the advances in technology, and the subsequent commercialization of genetic testing have made it possible for women to seek breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility testing before comparable social and psychological supports are put in place. As health care places more emphasis on illness prevention and simultaneously commits less economic support for health care, genetic testing presents social and ethical challenges as well as dilemmas. The study discussed in this article consisted of intensive field observation and in-depth, face-to-face interviews concerning genetic susceptibility testing. The social worker may be in a unique position to collaborate with other health professionals in the clinical and the policy arena in regard to these tests.