New Zealand scientists have developed a simple swab test that can assess the likelihood of a patient developing lung cancer.
There are obvious benefits from knowing the truth, but the problem may come when you are obliged to share it with your health insurance company.
Alan Conlon, who was a smoker for fouty years, gave up four years ago.
“I used to smoke my pipe, I was never without it,” says Mr Conlon
Mr Conlon gave a DNA sample which with researchers found he had a very high risk of getting lung cancer.
Mr Conlon went straight for a cat scan which found a nodule, but it has not grown.
“We're dealing with a technical breakthrough in my view and I'm delighted to have been a part of it, these guys are right onto it. They saved my life they've given me a new lease on life and I'm as fit as I was oh maybe five or ten years ago,” he says.
Specialists say confronting smokers with the cold hard vision of their future gives them a reality check. Dr Robert Young of the University of Auckland believes this is an effective way of helping people quit smoking.
“Smokers are concerned at lung cancer in recognising it as an issue and bringing it to their attention. We know from various type of studies that this type of risk personalisation helps people to quit smoking,” says Dr Young
And lung cancer is one of New Zealand's biggest killers.
“Lung cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in females and the leading cause of cancer death in males. It kills Fourteen hundred New Zealanders a year, that's almost four times the road toll,” he says.
Peter Martin from The Quit Group says the test should not give smokers at lower risk the green light.
“I mean that it doesn't identify the smokers who can cheerfully go on smoking in the belief that the risk for them is low, it isn't. The risk for lung cancer is quite high even for the moderate risk ones. And the risk of all these other diseases, such as coronary heart disease remain unchanged,” says Mr Martin
Health insurers say the test could pave the way to fairer premiums. Roger Styles from the Health Funds Association hopes people would not try to lie about the results to insurers.
“Insurers can't force anyone to take a genetic test, it's entirely voluntary, but I would point out is that where someone has taken a genetic test, they have a duty to disclose that to the insurer at the time of taking out health insurance,” says Mr Styles
The researchers say smokers wanting to take the test should first contact their GP.