Advantages of Comprehensive Panel Testing Include:
- Results provide a more comprehensive assessment of the genes associated with cancer in a family.
- A negative result on a multi-gene panel is more reassuring than a negative result for one or a few genes.
- It is more cost-effective, as some insurance companies will not cover repeat testing if single or limited gene testing results are negative.
- The clinical presentations of various hereditary cancer syndromes can overlap. Comprehensive multi-gene testing allows for simultaneous evaluation of multiple genes or syndromes.
NCCN guidelines recommended comprehensive multi-gene testing over single gene testing when more than one gene can explain an inherited cancer syndrome.