What can you buy with Rs. 20,000- Peace of Mind?

Let’s say you have Rs. 20,000 to spare, in your pocket. What would you do? Buy a new smartphone? Or some diamond jewellery- some trinket for daily use or something for your loved ones? Maybe that designer outfit that you’ve seen in the store at the mall or even a branded watch. These pretty baubles are nice to have but they are not going to provide value for a long time. Smartphones get dropped and crack, watches can develop scratches or lose some of the synthetic diamonds set in them and we outgrow clothes pretty soon… Yes, even that designer dress. What if there was a way of getting hold of highly valuable information that will let you plan your health journey for the forthcoming 40 years?   What if we give you the option of knowing your risk for developing cancer, for EXACTLY the same amount of money??

Yes, you read that right! A simple test can tell you whether you have genes that increase your personal risk for cancer or not.

Why should you know? The way we see it, it’s better to know one’s risk for cancer and be ‘prepared’ for it than be caught unawares!!

As we all know, 10 % of all kinds of cancers are hereditary. This means that there are genes that are handed down from generation-to-generation that cause cancer. It’s important to understand that a large fraction of all cancers are caused sporadically- by chance! Ergo, the average risk for developing cancer depends upon factors such as exposure to cancer-causing chemicals, inadequate diet and health maintenance strategies, and of course, pure chance. However, there are instances of people who have inherited defective or pathogenic genes and have developed breast or colorectal cancer in their twenties!

When you read of people who have been diagnosed with cancers so early in their lives, the first thought that pops into the head is that there should be SOME way to prevent cancer or detect it in the early stages. We all know that most cancers that are detected in stages I and II are very treatable and doctors have a better chance at controlling the disease in these stages than in stages III and IV.

The confounding factor is that early stage cancers do not show clinical symptoms. But let’s not throw in the towel, yet! There are tests to understand whether a person is at higher risk for developing cancers early or not. How, you ask? A simple genetic test is all that you need. Scientists have now built an extensive knowledge bank of defective genes that increase a person’s risk for developing cancers. At Strand, we have customized, lab-developed tests to determine if a person has pathogenic genes in their genome or not. These tests are called ‘Hereditary Predisposition Tests’ or ‘Germline Tests’.

All a person needs to do is provide a saliva sample. Three weeks later, we will let you know IF your own personal risk for cancer is high or not. In our experience, ~60% of the people who have taken this test have come out with flying colors – they do NOT have the bad genes that can cause cancers at a young age. These people are happy. Their minds are at rest, so far as the risk of hereditary cancer is concerned.

For just Rs. 20,000!

If you have any questions, please write to us at stayaheadofcancer@strandls.com