Saturday 3 July 2021 • Promotional Content


A genetic test could help against cancer


Miss Tena Walters, consultant breast surgeon MBBS, FRCS, MS, discusses the issue


Specialist clinics Healthcare Innovations 25


A


study at the Royal Marsden Hospital in 1940 first suggested that breast cancer could run


in families, but it wasn’t until 1994 that the first genetic abnormality that caused breast cancer was identified. Of the 4 million breast cancers diagnosis in the world, approximately 5% to 10% are caused by genetic mutations. Over half of all women with breast cancer, who are found to have an abnormal gene (approximately 1:400 people in the population), don’t have a family history of breast cancer. Currently, only patients with breast


cancer who are considered to have a greater than 10% risk of carrying one of the abnormal genes is offered


testing. Tis is based on their age, type of cancer and family history.


Patients are offered genetic testing if they have one of the following criteria: • One first-degree relative with breast cancer younger than 40 years of age


• One first-degree male relative at any age


• One first-degree relative with bilat- eral breast cancer, when the first was diagnosed younger than 50 years old


• Two first-degree relatives or one first degree and one second degree rela- tive with breast cancer at any age


But only genetic testing patients who


only have a family history


means that 50% of gene carriers are missed. Te reason for this could be a lack of awareness of the signif- icance of family history by patients and clinicians, which would lead to restricted access, and underuse of genetic testing services, with only 20-30% of eligible patients tested. Tis would lead to 97% of abnormal gene carriers in the population remaining unidentified. A recent study has suggested that


it would be more cost effective and beneficial if all women with breast cancer were offered genetic testing. Tis would identify more gene carriers and their relatives, who’d benefit from preventative therapy. If patients are known to have an


abnormal gene then they may, like Angelina Jolie, opt to have a risk- reducing mastectomy with recon- struction. Patients who have breast cancer may opt to have a mastectomy instead of lump removal and a risk reducing mastectomy on the other side with breast reconstruction. Tis may also reduce the need for


radiotherapy following lumpectomy. Tey may be also eligible for different, new preventative drugs. Most importantly, it’s now possible


to test embryos for the genetic muta- tion and this could prevent the gene from being passed on the future generations. Identification of gene-carrying


relatives could allow those individ- uals to have selective and advanced screening techniques with MRI and 3D tomosynthesis mammography or risk reducing surgery. Prevention is better than cure,


and patients with breast cancer should discuss genetic testing with their clinicians.


T: 020 7563 1234 E: info@108harleystreet.co.uk 108harleystreet.co.uk


Miss Tena Walters


Prevention is better than cure, and patients with breast cancer should discuss genetic testing with their clinicians


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44