Consent, Confidentiality, and Research

Genetic testing for susceptibility to familial adenomatous polyposis has considerable importance for the relatives of patients with the disease, because a mutation in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene, if present, invariably causes colon cancer. In this issue of the Journal, Giardiello and colleagues report the results of a survey of how physicians use and interpret a test for APC mutations.1 They found that few patients received genetic counseling or provided written consent before being tested. If physicians misuse other genetic tests to the same extent, these findings are important. However, the study itself raises questions about consent . . .