Genetic screening key to reducing breast cancer risks
Posted May 14, 2013 4:59 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Actress Angelina Jolie has gone public with news that she’s undergone a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of contracting breast cancer.
If a woman is found to have a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, they have a very high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.
The genetic testing to determine if a woman has the mutated genes is expensive, in the neighbourhood of $3,000 but isn’t the first step in determining susceptibility.
“They key message is that smart women have mammograms on a regular basis,” says UBC professor and radiologist Dr. Ian Gardiner.
Gardiner says the first thing any woman who is concerned needs to do, is go through her family history and determine how many relatives have been touched by the disease.
From there, a conversation with a genetic counsellor should help determine their risk factor.
Once that factor is calculated, a patient may undergo the genetic testing to determine if they carry the mutated gene.
“It is covered,” says Gardiner, of the expensive testing procedure, if the patient is deemed at risk. “Supplemental screening with breast MRI is often co-ordinated through the BC Cancer Agency.”
The reconstructive cosmetic surgery is also covered.
The procedure itself is relatively safe and can reduce a person’s risk of breast cancer by up to 95 per cent, says Gardiner.
Gardiner feels Jolie’s announcement will help awareness in the province.
“It is becoming a little bit more common over time in the province as patients become more aware of this option.”
