23andMe gets FDA clearance for prostate cancer risk test
Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images Genetics testing company 23andMe received Food and Drug Administration clearance for its prostate cancer risk test, the company announced today. It's 23andMe's third clearance for a cancer risk report - the company also has tests for genes that predict breast and colorectal cancer risk.
The test screens for a specific mutation on the HOXB13 gene linked with an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. Men with the mutation, the G84E variant, have around a three-fold higher chance of developing prostate cancer than men without, one study found. Around one in 70 people of European descent have the variant, according to a statement from 23andMe.
The prostate cancer risk report is not yet available to 23andMe customers, the company...