Health Officials Urging More Women To Test For 2 Genes Linked To Breast, Ovarian Cancer
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – There's a new recommendation for women at risk for cancer.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now says more women may benefit from testing for BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes.
Mutations of these genes can increase the risk of cancer CBS2's Dr. Max Gomez reports.
"The task force is recommending new groups be tested. These groups include women with a previous history of cancer, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and fallopian cancer," Dr. Max Gomez said.
"BRCA genes put women at very high risk for ovary and fallopian cancer. The second group that's been missed before is if women are from Ashkenazi Jew ancestry. That group tends to have very high incidence of BRCA genes."
Prior to this health alert, the guidelines for testing only extended to women who have relatives with BRCA-related cancers.