Genetic Mutation Less of a Risk Factor for Breast Cancer than once thought
A. From the Journal of the American Medical Association as reported in the Wall Street Journal
B. The study was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.
C. Researchers interviewed and tested 1,400 women with cancer in one breast and 700 women with cancer in both breasts, who carried the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.
1. Women with BRCA 1 and BRCA2 genes have been found to have less of a risk of developing breast cancer than previously thought.
2. The reevaluated risk is calculated at 40-51% risk for women who carry this gene to develop breast cancer by the age of 70.
3. The previous estimate was 50-80% risk by age 70.
4. It is suspected that the over estimation is caused by researchers focus on families with cancer, rather than sampling unaffected families.
5. It is estimated that one half of 1%, or about 750,000 women in the US, carry the affected genes.
6. Women in the study faced a higher risk if a relative's breast cancer was diagnosed at a young age or the relative had cancer in both breasts.
7. Costing as much as $3,000, the tests are recommended for women with a family history of breast cancer and not for general population screening. Most insurances cover the cost of the tests.