Categories Cancer Risk
Relevance: High
Most relevant for: African American women who are at high risk for breast cancer
Study: Gaps in information about breast cancer risk and prevention impact African American women
A study showed that African American women with increased breast cancer risk experienced greater burdens in obtaining information at each step compared to white women. Racial differences in preventive choices correlated with differences in information and provider access. (3/14/19)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Most relevant for: Bahamanian women
Study: Prevalence of BRCA founder mutations in Bahamian women
The Bahamas has the highest known frequency of BRCA mutations among people diagnosed with breast cancer. This study reviewed whether population-based BRCA testing (testing everyone regardless of family or personal history of cancer) would be an effective approach for finding mutation carriers in the Bahamas. (3/4/19)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Most relevant for: Women diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age
Study: Improving outcomes for young women with breast cancer: fertility and childbearing issues
Fertility issues and family planning decisions are prominent concerns for young women with breast cancer. This XRAYS looks at Dr. Ann Partridge’s presentation at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer symposium. Her talk, “Breast cancer in young women: Understanding differences to improve outcomes," focused on initial findings from the Young Women's Breast Cancer Study. Dr. Partridge’s research continues in the currently enrolling POSITIVE trial which tests whether women can safely interrupt adjuvant endocrine therapy in order to get pregnant. (1/7/19)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Most relevant for: Women in their childbearing years
Study: Breast cancer risk increases modestly after childbirth
Does having children alter the risk of breast cancer? Women who give birth have a lower lifetime risk of breast cancer. However, newer data suggests that breast cancer risk increases immediately after childbirth. A study published in December 2018 examines data from the Premenopausal Breast Cancer Collective Group seeking to clarify this issue. (12/28/18)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Most relevant for: Nigerian women or women of Nigerian descent who have breast cancer
Study: Inherited breast cancer in Nigerian women
A new study shows that among Nigerian women, one in eight cases of breast cancer is due to an inherited mutation in BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 or TP53. (12/5/18)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Most relevant for: People with an inherited mutation linked to cancer
Personal Story: Pamela Munster's story of cancer in the family
In her essay in The Washington Post, Dr. Pamela Munster recounts her family's history with cancer associated with a mutation in the BRCA2 gene. She details her father's extraordinary journey with pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive and deadly cancers. (11/27/18)
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Relevance: High
Most relevant for: Women over age 30
Study: Can population-based DNA sequencing find more people at risk for hereditary cancers?
It is well documented that many BRCA mutation carriers are missed using current family history-based screening approaches. As a result, experts are beginning to call for population-based BRCA genetic testing—an organized effort to screen all women like we do for breast and cervical cancer. A recent study looked at whether a population-based genetic testing approach would better identify mutation carriers compared with current practice. (11/17/18)
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Relevance: Medium-Low
Most relevant for: People who have a Variant of Uncertain Significance in a gene associated with cancer risk.
Study: A new method for determining whether genetic variants in BRCA1 increase cancer risk
Ever since BRCA1 was discovered, researchers have been trying to understand which of the thousands of possible DNA changes in this gene increase cancer risk and which are harmless changes. A new study in Nature reports how a cutting-edge technology called “genome editing” may be used to classify changes—known as variants of uncertain significance-in BRCA1 as harmful or harmless. Once validated, this same technology may be used to classify variants in other genes. (9/29/18)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Most relevant for: Women with an inherited mutation linked to increased risk for cancer
Article: Cancer experience in families affects decision making
Women with inherited mutations in genes that increase breast and ovarian cancer risk have an additional challenge: coping with how those mutations impact their families and how a family member’s cancer experience can shape their own perception. In a recent U.S. News and World Report article, Elaine Howley explores how a woman's decisions about healthcare, cancer prevention and treatment are affected by experience with cancer in the family. (9/25/18)
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Relevance: Medium-High
Most relevant for: Women with BRCA1 mutations who have had risk-reducing ovary removal and have never been diagnosed with breast cancer
Study: Hormone therapy and breast cancer risk after ovary removal in women with a BRCA1 mutation
Does hormone therapy (HT) alter the risk of breast cancer for woman carrying a BRCA1 mutation who have never been diagnosed with cancer? In this study, researchers showed that among women with BRCA1 mutations, HT use did not increase breast cancer rates for 10 years after ovary removal. More women taking combined estrogen plus progesterone developed breast cancer compared to those taking estrogen only, though this difference was not statistically significant. (9/7/18)