Specify the claim
Not a ‘cancer gene’, but an exact link: variant or variant class—condition—inheritance—population.
SCIENCE / REVIEWS
We review full chains of evidence—not famous genes.
Focused scientific reviews explain what a study found, how a result was measured, where it applies and where marketing overreach begins.
VARIANT REFERENCE
Check a designation against the local reference—without uploading a file.
The lookup uses only an editorially selected local ClinVar snapshot: the entered value is not sent to the controller or an external service. Germline classification, somatic clinical impact and oncogenicity are shown separately.
EXAMPLES
No name, contact details or files are requested. The designation is not written to the URL, cookies, local storage or analytics, sent to the controller’s server, or transmitted to NCBI. Do not enter names, test identifiers, report text, a child’s data or another person’s information. The local snapshot contains a limited record set; no match says nothing about a variant’s significance.
NCI GDC · DR 46.0
Tumour-cohort research context.
Compare cohort size, open SSM-data coverage, observations for a selected gene and file-access class—without personal prognosis or treatment selection.
Open GDC context →SCIENCE REVIEWS
A library of methods, traits and clinical contexts.
01 · Choosing a test
Genetic testing: what it can show, major types and how to choose
A useful test starts with a precise question, not the largest gene count. This guide explains test types, methods, limitations and how to check claims before purchase.
12 min →02 · Understanding resultsHow to read a genetic test result: pathogenic variants, VUS and negative findings
‘Positive’, ‘negative’ and ‘uncertain’ do not mean the same thing across genetic tests. First reconstruct the question, method and report boundaries.
11 min →03 · Molecular oncologyFrom specimen to treatment discussion: reading a tumour molecular report
A mutation list is not a clinical conclusion. A reliable report connects specimen quality, assay capability, the exact finding, evidence level and patient context.
9 min →04 · Inherited riskGermline testing and tumour profiling: two tests that must not be conflated
One test looks for inherited predisposition across the body; the other looks for acquired changes in a particular tumour. They can overlap but answer different questions.
7 min →05 · Phenotypic traitsEye colour, height, taste, sport and personality: what DNA can really suggest
Popular traits span a spectrum—from a narrow, large-effect ABCC11 trait to thousands of height variants and very weak individual personality prediction.
11 min →06 · Genetic methodsFrom PCR to whole genomes: what each method can detect
A ‘genetic test’ is not one machine. A point variant, repeat expansion, deletion, fusion and methylation change require different methods and quality controls.
14 min →07 · Cancer genomicsWhy test a tumour genome—and when it can change treatment
Molecular analysis does not seek abstract ‘cancer mutations’; it seeks testable biomarkers of sensitivity, resistance, inherited risk and research hypotheses.
18 min →METHOD
How evidence enters the atlas.
We assess relationship validity, effect size, clinical actionability and the ability of a specific test to detect the relevant variant separately.
01
Validity
How reliable is the relationship?
02
Effect
How much does risk or function change?
03
Action
Is there a safe next step?
04
Detection
Can this test detect what matters?
EDITORIAL PIPELINE
Six gates before publication.
Assess validity
Use expert curation, clinical guidelines, systematic reviews and reproducible primary studies.
Separate effect from action
A strong association does not automatically change prevention, diagnosis or treatment.
Check detectability
SNP arrays, sequencing, repeat-expansion assays, CNV analysis and HLA typing detect different variant classes.
State the limit
Explain a negative result and where ancestry, age, family, environment and clinical data matter.
Version the record
Every card gets a review date, change history, sources, reviewers and conflict-of-interest declarations.
FORBIDDEN SHORTCUTS
Phrases you will not see here.
- ‘You have the cancer gene’
- ‘The test predicts how long you will live’
- ‘DNA reveals your personality’
- ‘A negative test rules out inherited disease’
- ‘A VUS is probably dangerous’
- ‘Change your medicine based on this result’
CORE RESOURCES
Check the source.
ClinGen — Gene–Disease Validity↗ACMG/AMP variant classification↗CPIC guidelines↗GeneReviews↗GWAS Catalog↗PGS Catalog↗ACMG Secondary Findings v3.3↗
The ACMG Secondary Findings list is a minimum list for secondary findings in clinical sequencing, not a population-screening programme. Local guidelines and regulations must still be checked.