MULTIPLEX GENETIC TESTING

As panels of multiple genetic tests become increasingly available, cli nicians face new challenges in helping patients understand the nature of these tests. Diagnostic tests for conditions that inevitably lead t o disease, ''susceptibility'' tests that reveal heightened risk of dis ease, and tests for carrier status raise different concerns about info rmed consent and pose different needs for counseling. Clinicians must understand the implications of different kinds of tests, and of differ ent arrays of tests in multiple panels, if multiplex tests are to be u sed wisely in clinical practice.