Dec 08
8
Genetic Test May Not Trump Family History for Breast Cancer
In surprising and maybe even somewhat disappointing news for those that thought genetic testing was the end all be all for testing to see whether one is prone to developing breast cancer or not, there has been new evidence that breast cancer may be better detected and predicted through a thorough look at breast cancer family history in the women in a particular family. This supposedly provides a clearer and more unimpeded picture than a genetic test since it’s not always genes that are the sole cause.
Can you believe that those genetic mutations you hear about all the time in the news only account for about fifteen percent of breast cancer cases? Talk about a long ways off from foolproof, this makes me think that most women would be better off to forego the gene testing and instead take a good look at their family history, and impose a strict diet and exercise routine so as to avoid the common pitfalls of breast cancer causing lifestyle behaviors.
This most likely means that physicians will be really looking into and asking a patient about her family’s history with the disease, which is a good thing, since it’s predictive powers are something to be reckoned with according to the new data.
