Approximately 95 percent of women went ahead and performed the genetic test after the first year.
Letting the news about breast cancer sink in is never easy. In fact, there are quite a lot of women who wait too long before consulting with a physician about their condition. But it would seem that all the breast cancer awareness campaigns have begun to pay off. According to a recent report, the BRCA test is more popular among women.
As stated, it is never easy to hear that you have breast cancer. But, as all the breast cancer awareness campaigned have stated over the years, the key to curing cancer is to have a good preventive education.
Throughout these campaigns, public speakers and medical specialists, have tried to educate women, especially women over 40, that it is in their best interest to schedule an appointment to a specialist for a routine mammogram and physical exam.
Lately, a new study on breast cancer has emerged. According to this study, more and more women have begun to take an interest in the BRCA gene test. This test is designed to identify patients that carry the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene variants, which are thought to increase the risk of developing ovarian tumors and breast cancer.
The study in question has been published in the JAMA journal of Oncology, and its results are quite amazing in the area of breast cancer prevention. In order to see if the campaigns were successful in educating women about the dangers of breast cancer, the team of researchers who conducted the study analyzed the case files of approximately 900 women from all over the United States.
According to the research paper, all the women were 40 or below this age. Moreover, all the members enrolled in this study were diagnosed with breast cancer. And the results have shown that within a year after they’ve been diagnosed, approximately 95 percent of them went ahead in order to get tested for the BRCA gene mutations.
Doctor Jeffrey Weitzel, the head of a clinical cancer genetics facility from California declared that the latest results are encouraging due to the fact that most doctors are urging the female patients over 50 to get tested for the gene mutations.
Although the BRCA gene test is more popular among women, the study in question has a couple of limitations. According to the research team, the high percentage refers to white, educated woman who also possess a health insurance.
Through this study, the medical researchers make once again an appeal to women over 40 to get tested for the genetic mutations given by the BRCA 1 and the BRCA 2 genes.
Photo credits:www.wikipedia.org
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