All you need to know about pathology testing

Pathology tests are essential to modern medicine. They provide the information needed to make diagnoses, screen for illnesses and monitor treatment and medication. We’re here to help you understand them with up-to-date information written by practising Australian pathologists and senior laboratory scientists.

Who we are: The website is managed by the Australasian Association of Clinical Biochemists (AACB) with support from the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA). It has been funded under the Quality Use of Pathology Program of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.
See Features and Services for guidance on how to use this site

A test for mutations in the BRCA1 gene helped inform actress Angelina Jolie's recent headline-making decision to undergo a double mastectomy to mitigate what doctors estimated to be an 87% risk of developing breast cancer. The test confirmed she has a mutated BRCA1 gene, one of two genes for which mutations are linked with hereditary breast and ovarian cancers.

Last month’s news article was about genetic testing to detect increased risk of developing cancer. This month we will look at three advances in genetic testing in patients who already have cancer diagnosed.

A large international effort by more than 1,000 scientists has revealed scores of genetic markers that can identify people most likely to develop the diseases. In the future a relatively cheap test using saliva which contains cells and thus DNA could be used to identify individuals who are at higher than average risk for developing these diseases.