Recently, around 95 percent of women in the U.S. who were diagnosed with breast cancer at 40 years of age or younger got tested for a mutation that raises their risk of future cancers, according to a new study. The rate of genetic testing has risen since 2007, and that is a positive trend, researchers said, because the test results can influence women's decisions about treatment. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends that all women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 50 or younger get tested to see if they have the BRCA gene mutation, which can raise the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. In an ongoing study of young women with breast cancer. Partridge's team looked at many women age 40 and younger to see how many had been tested for the BRCA mutation and whether the test results had influenced their treatment. Among a total of 780 women tested during the study period, 59 did have what is known as a BRCA1 mutation and 35 reported having a BRCA2 mutation, while another 35 women said they had indeterminate result or variant. The rest had no mutation. Past research has found that women between ages 30 and 34 diagnosed with breast cancer and found to have the BRCA1 mutation developed a new cancer in the next 10 years. About 14 percent of women who were tested and did not have the mutation opted for a bilateral mastectomy to remove both breasts, compared to 86 percent of those who had the mutation. Some women who were not tested for BRCA mutations within a year of diagnosis said they had not discussed possible genetic mutations with their doctor. There are few to no downsides of BRCA testing for younger women with breast cancer, said Dr. Jeffery N. Weitzel. However, there are barriers to testing and accessing resources which must be addressed. "The more women who are tested, the critical thing is having the resources to support them with counseling" Partridge said.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/02/18/more-young-breast-cancer-patients-having-genetic-tests.html
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