Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 21, 1993 TAG: 9304210127
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: CHICAGO LENGTH: Short
Such screenings could someday make a life-and-death difference for up to 600,000 U.S. women with inherited susceptibilities to breast cancer, suggest two reports in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.
The authors of one report called the cousins' experiences "dramatic examples of the potential benefits" of the tests.
The study described how 35 members of an extended family with a high breast-cancer rate were genetically screened and counseled. One 33-year-old woman who learned she lacked the mutant gene linked to breast cancer quickly canceled plans to have her breasts removed to prevent a malignancy.
A 40-year-old cousin, who learned she had the defect, requested a long-delayed mammogram that revealed a tumor in a highly curable stage, said researchers led by Barbara B. Biesecker of the University of Michigan School of Medicine.
For now, there are three options for women with the inherited risk: increasing the frequency of cancer screenings; taking the experimental drug tamoxifen, which can cause severe side effects; or having breasts or ovaries removed before cancer can develop.
- Associated Press
by CNB