Genomic age edges closer as senior UK figure calls for routine DNA testing

The time has come for DNA testing of cancer patients to become a routine practice, argues England’s chief medical officer Professopr Dame Sally Davies.

More than 31,000 National Health Service (NHS) patients, including some with cancer, have had their entire genome mapped, though Dame Sally wants this to become a standard procedure not just for oncology patients but also other therapeutic areas including rare diseases and infections.

She makes this recommendation in her annual report entitled 2016: Generation Genome. This discusses the current state of genomic service provision in the NHS in England and explores the potential of genomics to improve health and prevent ill-health.