Mumbai girl does an Angelina Jolie, removes thyroid

What Pooja Jhaveri (23) did might well be the future. When a genomic mapping of the banking professional's body showed that the right lobe of her thyroid could develop goitre or abnormal swelling in future, she went for a pre-emptive, partial removal of her thyroid.

Jhaveri says she was inspired by the story of Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, who removed her breasts after genomic mapping showed that the celebrity was 87% risk-prone to breast cancer.

"The gene tests ascertained that the right lobe of my thyroid could develop goitre or abnormal swelling in future. As partial removal of thyroid is a zero-risk choice, I chose to pro-actively opt for it," she told dna.

So, what's this genomic mapping?
Through over 1,000 diagnostic tests of your saliva and blood samples, it can warn you about potential health risks. The tests can map over 75 types of cancer, 30 types of cardiovascular diseases and over 100 neurological disorders. Genomic mapping and counselling claims to reduce heart disease risks by 30%, diabetes risks by 31% and breast cancer by up to 20 times.

Where can I do it? Is it expensive?
Two centres in India -- Medanta Hospital in New Delhi and Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai – offer personalised medical risk reduction through genomic mapping. They offer three kinds of tests:
Susceptibility to top 10 cancers – Rs 30,000
Top 25 diseases including cardiovascular, cancer and neurological ailments – Rs 40,000
Complete genetic mapping for over a 1,000 diseases – Rs 1 lakh

What's Jhaveri saying?
"The results of my tests revealed an extremely high risk of thyroid abnormalities in future. Post this, my genetic counselor advised me to undertake blood tests for ascertaining the hormonal levels. The levels of hormones were very high," Pooja told dna. Even though she was not suffering from any hyperthyroidism-related problems, she decided to get the right lobe of her thyroid surgically removed.

What other services do hospitals offer?
"Not only are people warned of high, medium or low risk for diseases but are also provided with lifetime counselling to manage their dietary and lifestyle patterns," said Pooja Lodaya, genetic counsellor, personal genomics clinic, KDAH.

Any other example?
Forty five -year-old Niraj Singh (name changed) underwent full genome mapping after , he was told that he has a high chance of contracting non-small cell lung cancer. "The odds of surviving this type of lung cancer are 10%, if it is detected at third or fourth stages," he said.

What is Niraj's take on genome mapping?
Even though the tests can be exorbitantly expensive, this is not deterring people from going in for tests that could map their future. "The possibility of uncovering uncertainties is reassuring. A prevention plan mapped out by the counsellors literally reduces the risk for affliction manifold," said Niraj.

What's the Human Genome Project?
The Human Genome Project started in 1991 in the US. It culminated 12 years later, after mapping 25,000 human genes. By 2020, it is believed that gene mapping will be an inherent part of preventive medicine.