According to a new study, women who are genetically more likely to develop breast cancer should be screened regularly to reduce their risk of coming down with the disease.
"Young, high-risk women have little knowledge about the probabilities and options for managing the cancers for which their risks are remarkably increased. Further, many report intense anxiety related to their potential cancer development," principal investigator Andrea Farkas Patenaude, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, said in an institute news release.
Typically, daughters of women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 have a 50 percent chance of having the genetic mutation for the disease themselves. That in turn increases their risk of developing breast cancer by 85 percent and raises their risk of ovarian cancer by approximately 60 percent.
The aforementioned study revealed that many women were not well-informed about the genetics of breast and ovarian cancer compared to those who sought out counseling on the matter.
"These data support the need and can provide the foundation for the development of targeted educational materials to reduce that anxiety and ultimately improve participation in effective screening and risk-reducing interventions that can improve survival and quality of life for these young women," Farkas Patenaude said.
The findings were lined up for presentation on Thursday in Orlando at the Era of Hope conference hosted by the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program.
