Comment From Breakthrough Breast Cancer On Possible New Genetic Testing Technique
Main Category: Breast CancerAlso Included In: Genetics
Article Date: 18 Sep 2008 - 4:00 PDT
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Dr Sarah Rawlings, Head of Policy & Involvement at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, says:
"Only around 5% of all breast cancer cases are due to inherited faults in known breast cancer genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2. Genetic testing is currently only offered to women with a strong family history of the disease and is not relevant for the majority of women.
"Women tell us that it can be distressing to wait for the results of a genetic test. The development of new techniques that could speed up the process is extremely welcome, however, further investigation is needed to determine the accuracy of this technique before it could replace more conventional methods."
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MLA
13 Feb. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/121894.php>
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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/121894.php.
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Visitor Opinions In Chronological Order (1)
Limits To Genetic Testing
posted by Gail Perry on 18 Sep 2008 at 11:41 amI doubt they have found all the genes that may be part of the development of breast cancer, so one could have the genetic testing but would not get "Genetics will play no role for you on this issue" with 100% certainty.
The issue of breast cancer genetics is not as simple as, say, sickle cell anemia: if one parent has it, you have the trait; if both parents have it you get the disease. It's just not that simple.
I didn't get genetic testing because I don't need an expensive test to tell me the obvious. I am the third generation of women in my family to have breast cancer. However, they don't seem to be identical cancers. My mother had it at 38 and it was slow-growing. My grandmother had it at age 86. I had it at age 62 and it was fast-growing, HER positive, PR positive and ER positive. We don't really know, but that doesn't sound like either the cancer my mother had or the cancer my grandmother had.
So odds are that there are genetic factors in play in my family, but not the ones easily identified right now.
This isn't like sticking your finger to determine your blood type. It's a lot more complex than that.
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