BRCA gene testing criteria 'should be broadened in UK'

Angelina Jolie underwent a double mastectomy when she discovered she had the gene
PA
Alexandra Richards5 November 2017

BRCA gene testing should be broadened in the UK, a major new study has suggested.

The research, which was carried out by the Institute of Cancer Research in London and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, found that broadening the criteria used to on women to test for the BRCA1 and the BRCA2 genes will allow doctors to diagnose earlier.

The BRCA gene gained publicity after Angelina Jolie discovered that she carried the gene in 2013. The gene puts women at a greater risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer.

Ms Jolie underwent a double mastectomy to prevent herself from developing the disease.

Currently when offering the gene test, doctors will ask women about their family history but the new study has suggested that this is an unreliable approach.

The study presented five new criteria which should be used.

These criteria were tested on 1,020 patients and it was found that 110 had the BRCA mutation.

Research revealed that half of these cases would have been missed using the current criteria for testing.

Professor Nazneen Rahman, head of cancer genetics at the Institute of Cancer Research, said that using a broader criteria when testing for the gene, allows doctors to "help more cancer patients to benefit from precision medicines, and it helps us prevent cancer occurring in healthy people."

Professor Paul Workman, chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: "Now that we're in an age of precision medicine, genetic testing has become a vital tool to help identify those patients who would benefit most from targeted treatments."

The study also said that the new forms of genetic testing would be cost-effective for the NHS as it would prevent cases of cancer developing in relatives.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT