Home Family History

Family History and Hereditary Breast Cancer

Welcome to the Family History and Hereditary breast cancer e-Bulletin page.  This page includes recent research summaries, abstracts and resources that may be of interest. To return to the main e-Bulletin page, please click here. To receive e-Bulletins via email, please click here to sign up. OCTOBER 2008 Psychological impact of BRCA 1 and 2 testing Researchers at the University of California have undertaken a study on the psychological wellbeing (i.e. depression, mood and distress) of women who were tested for the BRCA 1 and 2 genes. They assessed the women in the study prior to their genetic testing and at 1 month, 6 months and twelve months after testing. They found that while cancer-specific and general distress increased for women before genetic testing and up to 12 months after, this distress significantly decreased for many women over time. For more information, please click here. The effects on young adults of learning of parents BRCA mutation A recent US study has found that children of parents with a BRCA mutation report no negative aspects to learning about their parent’s genetic mutation. The majority of children reported a good understanding of the information shared, and the interest shown by the children in relation to genetic testing was high. For more information, please click here. Breast carcinoma in situ and possible links to BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes According to research presented at the ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium recently, women with breast carcinoma in situ (breast cancer confined to the ducts or lobules of the breast) may be more likely to be carriers of the BRAC1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. In total, 4452 individual reported a personal history of only breast cancer in situ. Of these, 344 women were found to have either a BRCA 1 or 2 gene mutation. For more information, please click here. AUGUST 2008 The genetic testing patent debate: an update Melbourne-based genetic testing company, Genetic Technologies indicated in July that it would enforce patent rights on genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Concerns were raised by a number of medical professionals and cancer organisations that this could lead to more expensive genetic tests, as well as ethical questions as to whether genetic tests should be allowed to be patented. This is an important issue for many women and their families, and we will continue to monitor the debate closely. A recent article entitled A Price on your Genes, published in The Australian newspaper, gives readers a good overview of the key issues. To view the full article please click here. Removal of ovaries and breast cancer risk A summary of current research, compiled by the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (NBOCC), looked at how the surgical removal of ovaries affects women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. According to the summary, removal of ovaries was associated with a 72 per cent breast cancer risk reduction in women with BRCA2 mutations. In addition, removal of ovaries appeared to reduce the risk of oestrogen-receptor positive breast cancer by 78 per cent in women with either a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. For more information, click here.   US study looks at the role psychological support for women considering, or undergoing mastectomy According to researchers at the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute in the US, psychological support would benefit women undergoing or considering mastectomy. As part of this research, 108 women were interviewed. All participants reported that psychological support would be helpful before surgery to aid in decision making. Two thirds reported that they felt post-surgery psychological consultation would also be useful. Participants also felt that speaking to other women who had undergone a mastectomy would be very beneficial. For more information, please click here. Familial Cancer Conference 2008: Research and Practice The Familial Cancer Conference was recently held in Queensland from August 19–22. This conference included presentations on familial breast cancer, as well as a range of other cancers. A full program with detailed abstracts is available on the Kathleen Cuningham Foundation Consortium for research into Familial Breast cancer (kConFab) website, http://www.kconfab.org/. Abstracts cover topics such as the role of risk reducing surgery in BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers, (page 23) peer support programs for women with BRCA1 and BRCA 2 mutations (page 86) and the future of familial breast cancer research in Australia (page 31).  While some of these abstracts are quiet technical, they may be of interest. For more information, please click here JULY 2008   Discovery of five genes that may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer Five new genes have been found to slightly increase the risk of breast cancer, according to a recent article in the latest Kathleen Cuningham Foundation Consortium for Research into Familial Aspects of Breast Cancer (KConFab) newsletter. The genes are named FGFR2, TNRC9, MAP3K1, LSP1 and CASP8. To read more, please click here. Benefits of MRI Screening for women with a family history of breast cancer A recent Wall Street Journal article has highlighted the benefits of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) screening for women with a strong family history of breast cancer. While the article focuses on the US health system, there are very relevant messages in this article for Australian women. To view the full article, please click here. Counselling interventions and women with a family history of breast cancer Research undertaken by a team in Denmark has found that women referred to genetic counselling show higher levels of cancer-specific distress compared to women from a general population group. For more information on the study please click here. Common-gene testing on the horizon Scientists from the University of Cambridge have found that seven common genes, when found in combination, may put women at a slightly increased risk of breast cancer. The scientists are hopeful that this development will lead to more powerful genetic testing for breast cancer over the next few years. They also believe that genetic testing will assist doctors to identify women with increased risk of breast cancer who would benefit from screening at an earlier age. Please click here to view the full article. Links to other e-Bulletin Research Sections Rural and Remote Secondary Breast Cancer Young Women The information contained in this e-Bulletin has been gathered from various sources to keep subscribers up-to-date with the latest relevant news and information. The contents of the listings are not necessarily endorsed by BCNA.