Questionnaire Helps Docs Identify Inherited Breast Cancer Risk

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Doctors know some women carry genetic mutations that put them at increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer, but until now, identifying these women has been a labor-intensive task involving genetic counseling.

That may soon change, thanks to a new study from researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Researchers find a questionnaire administered to women coming in for routine mammograms may be just as effective in identifying women at risk for the mutations.

Investigators tested the questionnaire on 14,000 women seeking mammograms at their hospital, asking them to provide information about their family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer and other cancer related information. Women either filled out the questionnaires by hand, which were then scanned into a computer system, or filled them out on a computer tablet. In both cases, the information was made immediately available to the women's doctors and then later analyzed using standard mutation prevalence tables.

Among the 1,764 women diagnosed with cancer, about 20 percent were found to have family histories suggesting they may have one of the cancer-causing mutations. That figure is similar to figures obtained in studies involving more traditional approaches to gauging the risk.

The authors note identifying women with these genetic mutations is important so they can weigh their options, or have more frequent screenings to catch the cancer in earlier and more treatable stages.

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SOURCE: CANCER, published online Sept. 26, 2005