Research from the Veterans Affairs' Million Veteran Program is beginning to produce personalized healthcare tools based on genetic findings, the agency said. The program includes more than 1 million veteran participants.
One early application, the MVP Return of Actionable Results (MVP-ROAR) study, identified veterans with genetic risk for familial hypercholesterolemia, a condition causing dangerously high cholesterol that often goes undiagnosed. The VA reached out to affected veterans, obtained their consent to share results with them and their providers, confirmed findings through clinical testing, and connected them with a genetic counselor.
Researchers also analyzed data from more than 585,000 male participants to develop a tool for identifying men at higher risk of prostate cancer. The tool is being evaluated in the Prostate Cancer, Genetic Risk, and Equitable Screening Study (ProGRESS). The VA said researchers are studying whether using it alongside standard screening can help identify veterans at greater risk of developing advanced, metastatic prostate cancer.
Army Veteran Leland R. learned he was at higher risk of prostate cancer through the study. "Once I found out about my predisposition to prostate cancer, one of the first phone calls I made was to my son. I have given him a copy of my study so that he can bring that to his health care provider so that he can advocate for himself," he said.
The Million Veteran Program collects genetic data for research purposes, not clinical care. The VA said it does not routinely return genetic results directly to participants. However, eligible veterans may be invited to participate in additional studies that could provide individual results after providing additional consent and clinical confirmation.