Write to the research desk
Questions about hereditary-cancer testing, a source you think we should cite differently, or a press enquiry — we read every message. This is an educational resource, not a clinic and not the active study. For decisions about your own health, please speak with a clinician or a certified genetic counsellor.
Send us a note
Tell us what you are working on and we will route it to the right place. Plain-language questions are welcome — so are technical corrections with a reference attached. We aim to reply within a few working days. Please do not send personal genetic results or identifiable patient data; we cannot interpret them and they belong with your care team.
[email protected]What this desk is — and is not
The PROMPT Registry research desk publishes evidence explainers on hereditary-cancer testing, from swab to sequencer. We honour the heritage of the Prospective Registry of MultiPlex Testing (PROMPT) — a real multi-institution hereditary-cancer registry whose findings on genes such as ATM, CHEK2 and PALB2 are cited in ASCO / JCO. We are an independent educational resource and not the enrolling study, not a diagnostic laboratory, and not a substitute for clinical care.
If your message is about a personal result — a variant of uncertain significance on a panel, a positive BRCA1 finding, or what a report means for your family — the most useful step we can offer is a signpost: contact a board-certified genetic counsellor or your clinician. They can review your record, your family history, and current management guidance in a way a public explainer never can.
What happens after you write
A calm, predictable path — no autoresponders pretending to be a person.
- 01
We read and sort
Each message is triaged by topic: a research question, a source correction, a press enquiry, or something else. Sensitive or personal-health messages are redirected to counselling resources rather than answered with advice.
- 02
We check the source
For corrections, we trace the claim back to its citation — NCI, ACMG, NCCN, ASCO/JCO, NHGRI or the primary literature — before we change a word. Verifiable corrections are logged and credited.
- 03
We reply or signpost
Research and editorial questions get a written reply, usually within a few working days. Personal-care questions get a clear pointer to a genetic counsellor or clinician — the right person for your decision.
- 04
We update the record
Where a correction holds up, the page is amended and the change noted. Our aim is a resource that gets more accurate over time, not one that defends old text.
Where to send what
Routing a message to the right place gets you a faster, more useful reply.
| Topic | Good for | Not for | Typical reply |
|---|---|---|---|
| A research question | How testing works, what a term means, how to read a panel in general | Interpreting your own result | Written reply, a few working days |
| Cite a source / correction | Flagging an outdated figure, a mis-stated ACMG tier, a broken reference | General disagreement without a source | Source check, then amend or explain |
| Press & media | Background, attribution, interview on hereditary-cancer literacy | Clinical comment on individual cases | Reply with materials and context |
| Something else | Partnerships, accessibility issues, broken links | Personal medical advice | Routed to the right desk |
Table 1. Enquiry types and the response you can expect.
A few terms, so the form is easy to fill in
Plain definitions for the language you may use when you write.
- VUS
- Variant of uncertain significance — one of the five
ACMG/AMP tiers (pathogenic, likely pathogenic, VUS, likely benign, benign). A VUS is not a diagnosis; it means the evidence is not yet sufficient to classify it either way. A genetic counsellor, not a website, should explain what yours means for you. - Panel
- A multi-gene test that examines several hereditary-cancer genes at once — for example
BRCA1,BRCA2,PALB2,ATMandCHEK2— rather than a single gene in isolation. - Penetrance
- The chance that someone carrying a pathogenic variant actually develops the associated condition. It is a population estimate, not a personal forecast — high-penetrance
BRCA1differs markedly from moderate-penetranceCHEK2. - Registry
- A research database that follows consenting participants over time to learn how rare variants behave. PROMPT was one such registry; this desk explains the science it helped surface.
Before you write
Can you tell me what my genetic test result means?
No — and we say so plainly. We can explain how panels and ACMG tiers work in general, but only a clinician or certified genetic counsellor with access to your record and family history can interpret your result and advise on next steps. That is the single most important signpost on this page.
Is the PROMPT study still enrolling through this site?
No. This is an independent educational resource that honours the heritage of the Prospective Registry of MultiPlex Testing and its peer-reviewed findings. We are not the enrolling study and cannot register participants. If you are looking to join hereditary-cancer research, ask your clinician or a genetic counsellor about active registries and trials.
I found a figure on your site that looks out of date. What should I do?
Please send it under “Cite a source / correction” with the page, the claim, and ideally a reference. We trace every correction back to primary sources — NCI, ACMG, NCCN, ASCO/JCO, NHGRI or the literature — and amend the page when the evidence supports it. Numbers such as lifetime-risk percentages are reported as ranges because estimates vary across cohorts.
Will you publish or share my message?
No. Messages are used to answer you and to improve the resource. Please do not send identifiable health information or genetic reports; we cannot act on them, and they are better kept with your care team.
How quickly will I hear back?
Usually within a few working days for research and editorial questions. Personal-health questions receive a prompt signpost to a genetic counsellor rather than a clinical answer — which is the safest and most useful thing we can offer.
“We would rather answer one question carefully and point you to the right clinician than offer ten confident sentences about a result we cannot see.”
Not a message — just curious?
Start with the explainers. The guides walk from sample collection through sequencing and reading a report, in plain language, with the citations attached. For personal decisions, see a clinician or a certified genetic counsellor.