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True negatives not at high risk for invasive breast cancer

10/31/2010 13:54:00 admin

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Today is the last day of the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month or the pink month. We publish a report on a new study below to help readers better understand risk of breast cancer.

The study suggests women who test negative for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, but have carriers in their families may not be at higher risk for invasive breast cancer while they may have higher risk for non-invasive breast cancer.

Genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in family members of women with known deleterious mutations can tell doctors who are at higher risk of breast cancer and who are not.

Some studies have already suggested that women testing negative for known familial mutations (true negatives) may still face a higher risk of breast cancer than the general population.

S.M. Domchek and colleagues fro University of Pennsylvania wanted to determine whether the true negatives are indeed at higher risk.

For the study, the researchers followed 375 women in the United States who were close relatives of known BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, but tested negative for these mutations.

At the time of genetic testing, these women were free of breast cancer.

Among the subjects, two invasive and two in situ breast cancer cases were identified during a 4.9- year follow-up. In comparison, four invasive breast cancer cases and 0.9 cases of in situ breast cancer cases were expected based on the incidence of the diseases in the general population.

In other words, these women were at 49 percent less likely to develop invasive breast cancer and 130 percent more likely to develop in situ breast cancer, compared to the general population.

These true negatives were not at risk of o varian cancer.

The study population is small, and errors may be introduced in the study, a health observer suggested. The researchers suggested that women who are free of BRCA1/2 mutations, but have carriers in their families should follow the general guidelines to receive the screening.

The study was published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

In situ breast cancer is a type of breast cancer that is non-invasive.

Breast cancer is diagnosed in more than 175,000 women and kills about 50,000 women each year in the United States. The disease is expected in one in seven women in their lifetime.

Many studies have suggested the risk of developing breast cancer in many cases can be reduced by following a modified lifestyle including a healthy diet no matter a person carries genetic mutations or not.

More reports will be published here at foodconsumer.org after the National Breast Cancer Awareness to help our readers better understand the risk of the disease and how to prevent it.

David Liu

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