Genetic testing is gaining popularity: experts

A growing number of Australians are undergoing genetic tests to diagnose hereditary diseases and cancer.

There has been an increase of more than 70% in five years in the number of genetic tests performed by laboratories across the country, the Royal College of Australasia Pathologists, discovered in a survey of more than 95% of laboratories.

The 2016/17 FY survey revealed that more than 660,000 tests had been performed in laboratories across the country, half of which had been used to diagnose genetic problems and one in ten to verify family predispositions to cancer.