Three New Recommendations for Genetic Tests Released by the EGAPP™ Working Group

The independent Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention (EGAPP™) Working Group, supported by the Office of Public Health Genomics (OPHG) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released three evidence-based recommendations on the validity and utility of specific genetic tests currently being used in clinical practice. The recommendation statements address the following:

• Can Tumor Gene Expression Profiling Improve Outcomes in Patients with Breast Cancer?
• Can UGT1A1 Genotyping Reduce Morbidity and Mortality in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treated with Irinotecan?
• Genetic Testing Strategies in Newly Diagnosed Individuals with Colorectal Cancer Aimed at Reducing Morbidity and Mortality from Lynch Syndrome in Relatives.

The EGAPP™ Working Group recommendations address the need for reliable, objective information on genetic and genomic tests for chronic diseases that are a major burden in the U.S. population. Health care providers, public health practitioners, policy makers, and consumers can use this information to make more informed decisions about the appropriate use of these tests in clinical and public health practice.

The recommendations were published in the January 2009 issue of Genetics in Medicine, along with the EGAPP™ methods and processes for developing such evidence-based recommendations. Links to these and the CDC-funded evidence reports used by the EGAPP™ Working Group to develop their recommendations are available on the EGAPP™ Working Group Web site.

EGAPP™ Initiative
OPHG launched the EGAPP™ initiative in 2004 to establish and test a systematic, evidence-based process for evaluating genetic tests and other applications of genomic technology that are in transition from research to clinical and public health practice.