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Genetic Testing Helps Breast Cancer Patients Make Surgery Decisions

Testing women newly diagnosed with breast cancer for the genetic mutations that are associated with an increased risk of the disease affects the decisions they make about treatment, according to a new study.

Breast cancer patients with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations are up to 60% more likely to develop cancer in the opposite breast, known as contralateral breast cancer, for at least 10 years after their original diagnosis. These women may wish to decrease this risk by having a double mastectomy, but there are barriers to testing women after diagnosis with breast cancer.

Marc D. Schwartz, M.D., of Georgetown University, and colleagues offered genetic testing and counseling to 167 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer who had at least a 10% chance of carrying one of the mutations. Of the 31 women who tested positive for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, 48% chose to have a double mastectomy, while only 24% of the 136 women who had no mutation or an unknown mutation chose the procedure.