Options and consequences of genetic testing in patients with high risk of breast and ovarian cancer due to BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations
Abstract
BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations Although incidence of BRCA positivity in population seems to be long-term stable this finding is especialy in women discussed more and more often. The reason is extremely high lifelong risk of breast and ovarian cancer development.
Affected patients have to be precisely followed by oncologists and gynecologists and on the contrary it is necesary to provide genetic testing for BRCA mutation positivity if some posibility of hereditary conditioned tumor exists. However, it is important not to reduce this problem on the question of prophylactic bilateral mastectomy only.
Even in this situation we can use some modified screening program for breast cancer but there are no posibilities for earlier detection of ovarian cancer and the majority of patients will die because of this disease. There is a need of greater awareness by gynecologists leading to the trend change of preferring prophylactic gynecological surgery over mastectomy mentioned above. salpingo-ooforectomy and hysterectomy, CA125 tumor marker, PARP inhibitors.