PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsNewsBlack women tested less often for hereditary breast cancer

BioNews

Black women tested less often for hereditary breast cancer

Published 9 June 2009 posted in News and appears in BioNews 304

Author

BioNews

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.

African American women at risk of developing breast cancer are much less likely to receive genetic testing, according to a new US study. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania looked at racial disparities in genetic counselling for an inherited susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer. Their results, published in the...

African American women at risk of developing breast cancer are much less likely to receive genetic testing, according to a new US study. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania looked at racial disparities in genetic counselling for an inherited susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer. Their results, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that compared to white women with a family history of the disease, black women are 78 per cent less likely to undergo genetic counselling for this type of test. The reasons for this difference are unclear, say the team, but could include variation in quality of healthcare and mistrust of the medical profession.


Most cases of breast cancer are not inherited, but around 5-10 per cent are due to a gene mutation. Women who have a mutation in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene have a greatly increased lifetime risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer. The study, carried out from December 1999 to August 2003, included 408 women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer. Of these, 217 received genetic counselling for BRCA1/2 testing, while 191 women did not. The results showed that only 7.4 per cent of the women who received counselling were black, compared to 28.8 per cent of the women who did not receive counselling.


The association was still apparent after the team took into account factors such as socioeconomic status, women's perception of their own risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and whether or not their family doctor had recommended taking the test. Study leader Katrina Armstrong says that the lower rate of genetic testing in black women could be due to a greater distrust of healthcare, which has been shown in other studies. She concluded that 'the benefit of predictive genetic testing will not be fully realised unless these disparities can be addressed'.


US breast cancer researcher Olufunmilayo Olopade, who co-wrote an editorial accompanying the study, said that black women tend to underestimate their risk of breast cancer and lack awareness about BRCA gene mutations. Armstrong agreed, calling the situation 'a catch-22', adding: 'People are not receiving genetic counselling because there is not enough information about how frequently these mutations occur in the African-American community'. Such counselling is important, she said, because women with BRCA1/2 mutations can take pre-emptive steps such as taking the drug tamoxifen or undergoing preventative mastectomies.

Related Articles

PET BioNews
News
11 February 2022 • 2 minutes read

DNA damage repair genes behave differently in black and white women with breast cancer

by James Moore

Differences in the expression of DNA repair genes due to environmental impacts may help explain why breast cancer mortality is higher in black women than white women, researchers report...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 2 minutes read

Moderate breast cancer risk in women with negative gene tests

by Dr Jess Buxton

Women with a family history of breast cancer who do not have mutations in the breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA 2 are still at increased risk of developing the disease, say UK researchers. The scientists say that women who test negative for the mutation carried...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 2 minutes read

US task force publishes familial breast cancer advice

by BioNews

The US Preventive Services Task Force has published guidelines on assessing the risk of familial breast and ovarian cancer. It states that genetic counselling is only appropriate for women whose family history suggests they may have inherited a mutation in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer genes. The recommendations were...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 June 2009 • 2 minutes read

Concern over internet gene tests

by BioNews

A US company offering genetic tests direct to customers has attracted criticism for not offering patients adequate care, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) reports. But DNA Direct, which offers tests for susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer via the internet, says it offers customers exactly the same counselling and testing...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« Washington state delays vote on stem cell research

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels

RetiringDentist.co.uk The UK's Leading M&A Company.
easyfundraising
amazon

This month in BioNews

  • Popular
  • Recent
13 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Drop in diversity of blood stem cells leads to old-age health issues

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

UK report reveals public attitudes to fertility, genomics and embryo research

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Shortage of sperm donors despite men willing to donate

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

North East London CCG proposes offering three funded IVF cycles

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Fibrosis drugs reverse ovarian ageing in mice

27 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Gene implicated in motor neurone diseases discovered

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856