Inherited vs Non-inherited Cancer
\n<\/strong>Breast cancer is the most common female cancer affecting approximately 1 out of 8 women (~12%). The majority of breast cancer cases occur by chance, also referred to as sporadic.<\/p>\n

We all carry certain genes (instruction codes) that are normally protective against cancer\u00a0\u2013 they correct any DNA damage that naturally occurs when cells divide.<\/p>\n

Inheriting\u00a0faulty versions or “variants” of these genes \u2013 mutations, significantly raises your risk of developing cancer because the altered genes cannot repair the damaged cells which can build up and form a tumor (cancer).<\/p>\n

Cancer is not usually inherited (in the family), but<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>some types\u00a0\u2013 mainly breast, ovarian, colorectal\u00a0and prostate cancer\u00a0\u2013 can be strongly influenced by genes and can<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>run in families<\/strong>. Of diagnosed breast cancer cases, only 5-10% are hereditary<\/strong>; meaning they occur due to an inherited <\/strong>genetic change in the family.<\/p>\n

Panel Testing
\n<\/strong>Multiple genes responsible for hereditary breast cancer have been discovered. Approximately 25% of hereditary breast cancer is due to mutations in one of two genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2. Another 20% of hereditary breast cancer is due to other known hereditary cancer genes. The application of \u2018panel testing\u2019 for breast cancer genetic testing is so far a matter of discussion. Standard practice still follows; in a first step, carrying out a BRCA 1 and 2 genetic test to identify any breast cancer causing mutations. However, if the woman tests negative, in a second step, she could then be offered a panel test of 21 (or more) breast cancer related genes to identify the disease causing mutation.<\/p>\n

WHO SHOULD HAVE A GENETIC TEST? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
• \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Women with breast cancer diagnosed prior to menopause (or below the age of 50)<\/li>\n
• \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Women having three or more close relatives (mother, sisters, aunts) affected with breast cancer<\/li>\n
• \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Women who have cancer in both breasts<\/li>\n
• \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Women who have had ovarian cancer at any age<\/li>\n
• \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Women who have both Breast AND ovarian cancer<\/li>\n
• \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Women who have male breast cancer in the family<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  Advantages of testing:<\/strong><\/p>\n

  \n
  • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Relief<\/li>\n
  • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Personalized medical recommendations<\/li>\n
  • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Risk reduction options \u2013 mastectomy (breast removal surgery), oophorectomy (removal of ovaries)<\/li>\n
  • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Results guide in developing management\/screening program<\/li>\n
  • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Informative for other family members \u2013 can chose to have predictive testing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Disadvantages to testing for BRCA mutations:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
    • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022Worry, Stress, Panic<\/li>\n
    • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022Anxiety of sharing the information with the family (some of whom may also be at increased risk for breast cancer)<\/li>\n
    • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022Women who test negative may falsely believe they will never get breast cancer<\/li>\n
    • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022Complications with health insurance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      What sort of results to expect?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Positive Result:<\/strong> A cancer-causing mutation is identified – risk for associated cancers is increased.<\/p>\n

      First-degree relatives, including parents, siblings, and children, have a 50% chance to carry the same mutation.<\/p>\n

      Genetic counseling is recommended for all family members to clarify their risks.<\/p>\n

      Negative Result:<\/strong> No breast cancer-causing mutation is detected in the genes included in the panel.<\/p>\n

      The significance of a negative result is dependent upon each individual\u2019s personal family history. It is important to discuss the<\/p>\n

      significance of a negative result with your physician or genetic counselor.<\/p>\n

      Variant of Unclassified Significance:<\/strong> A genetic change referred to as a variant is identified in one of the genes in the cancer panel.<\/p>\n

      Variants, which are changes in the gene structure, may or may not have a harmful effect on how the gene functions.<\/p>\n

      The laboratory does not have enough information to determine if the variant results in an increased risk for cancer or not. Further research needs to be carried out to understand whether the change is harmful or not.<\/p>\n

      Should people considering genetic testing talk with a genetic counselor?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Genetic counseling is generally recommended before and after any genetic test for an inherited cancer syndrome. This counseling should be performed by a health care professional who is experienced in cancer genetics and counseling. Genetic counseling usually covers many aspects of the testing process, including:<\/p>\n

      \n
      • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 A hereditary cancer risk assessment based on an individual\u2019s personal and family medical history<\/li>\n
      • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Discussion of:\n
        \n
        • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 The appropriateness of genetic testing<\/li>\n
        • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 The medical implications of a positive or a negative test result<\/li>\n
        • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 The possibility that a test result might not be informative<\/li>\n
        • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 The psychological risks and benefits of genetic test results<\/li>\n
        • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 The risk of passing a mutation to children<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • \u00a0\u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Explanation of the specific test(s) that might be used and the technical accuracy of the test(s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Inherited vs Non-inherited Cancer Breast cancer is the most common female cancer affecting approximately 1 out of 8 women (~12%). The majority of breast cancer cases occur by chance, also referred to as sporadic. We all carry certain genes (instruction codes) that are normally protective against cancer\u00a0\u2013 they correct any DNA damage that naturally occurs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[294],"tags":[253,254,255,256],"class_list":["post-1455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs-articles","tag-breast-cancer","tag-hereditary-breast-cancer","tag-significance-of-a-negative-result","tag-testing-for-breast-cancer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geneticcounselor.ae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geneticcounselor.ae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geneticcounselor.ae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geneticcounselor.ae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geneticcounselor.ae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1455"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.geneticcounselor.ae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1465,"href":"https:\/\/www.geneticcounselor.ae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1455\/revisions\/1465"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geneticcounselor.ae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.geneticcounselor.ae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geneticcounselor.ae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.geneticcounselor.ae\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}