A study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, identified genes that predispose the African American population to breast cancer.1
Importantly, the study also demonstrated the validity of current breast cancer testing panels for use in African American women and provides a basis for increased referrals of cancer genetic testing in this patient population.
“To the extent that the differences in recommendations are the result of misconceptions among clinicians about the prevalence of genetic mutations and associated risks in African American women, awareness of our findings may serve to increase the proportion of African American women who are offered testing,” corresponding author Julie Palmer, ScD, director of Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center and the Karin Grunebaum Professor in Cancer Research at the Boston University School of Medicine,…
