Strong Family History Prompts Genetic Testing
By Karina Brierley, MS
Both Margaret's mother and father were diagnosed with breast cancer. For this reason, she knew there was a strong possibility that she herself may be genetically predisposed to the disease. Although it was suggested that she have genetic testing at the time of her parent's diagnoses, it wasn't until several years later that she felt ready to receive genetic testing and find out her own risk for developing the disease.
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Screening for Breast Cancer: Making Sense of the Recommendations for Average and High-Risk Women
By Karina Brierley, MS
In November 2009, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released new breast cancer screening guidelines. Unfortunately, this ill-timed release coincided with debate over healthcare reform leading to strong emotional reactions, misinformation, and controversy. Hopefully, with some time and distance, we can focus on the facts and expert opinions to better understand these guidelines for women at average-risk and also examine new data on the breast cancer screening options for women at high-risk.
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Genetic Testing Company May Be Discouraging
Your Doctor From Referring to Genetics Experts: Get
the Facts
By Rachel Barnett, MS
Over the last year, commercial genetic testing companies have aggressively targeted doctor's offices throughout the country to encourage them to order genetic testing for their patients without counseling from a genetics expert. These marketing tools have led to an increasing number of claims nationwide that patients are receiving "either too little or the wrong information about their genetic risk of developing cancer from companies marketing the tests," said Sue Friedman, Director of Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE). It is important to keep in mind that few clinicians have the infrastructure in their office to provide long-term follow-up for patients who carry a mutation, coordination of testing for family members, and methods of re-contacting patients when new laboratory techniques and additional testing become available. Also, few doctors have extensive training in genetics, and are thus limited in their ability to interpret complex test results. In addition, the testing companies are not educating doctors about other hereditary cancer syndromes and genetic tests that may be offered by different testing companies, and, therefore, may be providing unbalanced and biased information to your doctor. This has led, in some cases, to misinterpreted test results, wrong genetic tests being ordered, and unnecessary surgery.
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Journal Clips
Contralateral breast cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.
J Clin Oncol 2009: 27:5887-5892.
BRCA carriers are born with a copy of a BRCA mutation in almost all of the cells in their bodies, including all of the cells of both breasts. For this reason, we have always suspected that BRCA breast cancer survivors are at increased risk to develop a new cancer in the other (contralateral) breast. This large German study confirms that suspicion. The cumulative risk for a contralateral breast cancer 25 years after the first cancer was 47.4%, with risk being greater in BRCA1 carriers. Younger age at first breast cancer diagnosis increased the risk of developing a contralateral breast cancer. Patients should be offered genetic counseling and testing before making a surgical decision, since the results may alter their risks and choices.
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