Be Wary of Ad Campaign Urging Women to Get Breast Cancer Gene Test

Lehigh Valley, Pa. (October 16, 2007) – Does breast cancer run in your family? If so, you might be inclined to pay extra attention to a new TV commercial that recently hit the airwaves asking that question and vowing to help you, "Be ready against cancer."

The advertisement is promoting Myriad Genetic Inc.'s (a biopharmaceutical company) test for BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene mutations, which predisposes women to breast and ovarian cancer.

"We're concerned that this marketing campaign will convince women who are unlikely to carry a BRCA gene mutation to unnecessarily have this test," says Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network genetic counselor Tara Namey.

Only 10 percent of all breast cancer is hereditary. More than 15 percent of women with hereditary breast cancer do not have a BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 mutation. While it is important to identify those women who are at risk for having a BRCA mutation, it is equally important to recommend against testing when it is not appropriate.

Some risk factors that increase the likelihood of a woman carrying an inherited BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutation include:

• personal history of early onset of breast cancer (before age 50) or ovarian cancer at any age
• two or more close blood relatives (from mother's or father's side) affected with breast and/or ovarian cancer
• family history of male breast cancer
• Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish ancestry
• family member with a BRCA mutation

The marketing campaign also is directed to primary-care physicians and surgeons who operate on breast cancer. "We are concerned that these physicians may not be prepared to deal with the genetic complexities inherent in genetic testing, the nuances of informed consent, the implications for the patient and family of results (positive or negative), or the potential liabilities of inappropriate testing," says LVHHN breast cancer specialist Gregory Harper, M.D.

Genetic counselors, however, are specially educated in interpreting BRCA results, especially in the context of family and personal history. "These issues are best managed by a genetic counselor and a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses and counselors who deal with cancer risk assessment and genetic risk management on a daily basis," Harper says. "The reality of breast cancer genetic testing is that it's more than a simple blood test."

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