What is the BRCA test?

There are a growing number of young ladies with breast cancer. They are going through the test called BRCA. This is a type of gene mutations that raises the risk of breast cancer as well as tumors of the ovary according to the newest study. The researchers have discovered that around 900 ladies who have breast cancer at the age of 40 or even younger went through the BRCA tests a year after being diagnosed.  The percentage increased in time. In 2013, 95% of the ladies were tested. The experts said that the results were good, because BRCA test has long been suggested for ladies who were diagnosed with breast cancer before they reached 50. This is good said Dr. Weitzel.

But he also said that ladies in the test were big white, insured and educated. It is not the unfortunate women in the US that may show the similar rate of the BRCA test. They need to work up on the reach of the gene test, he added. He is also the author of the editorial published in accordance with the study. The media has covered for the actress Angelina Jolie and her disclosures that she had the BRCA1 mutation test and it has boosted the awareness about the test and cancer prevention operations. Jolie had both of her breasts eliminated in 2013 after knowing that she has the BRCA mutation. In 2015, she had her ovaries along with her fallopian tube eliminated because of the odds of ovarian cancer that branches out from the BRCA1 mutation. However, the authors of the newest study said that the growing number in gene testing among patients in the study merely anteceded the disclosure made by Jolie.

About the BRCA mutation test

Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 & BRCA2 genes took account for the 5-10% of all of the breast cancers and around 15% of all the ovarian cancers, based on the US National Cancer Institute. Because the mutations made the odds grow among women, those who developed the disease at a young age have had a higher possibility of sheltering the genes concerned. The BRCA test is suggested for women who were detected with breast cancer before they even reached the age of 50. This can help their treatment decision according to Dr. Patridge.  Ladies who have the mutations are probable to having a recurrent cancer in the other breast, so some of the ladies would like to go for double mastectomy to prevent the cancer from recurring. This is not advisable, but experts do suggest that ladies with BRCA mutations to have their ovaries eliminated by the age of 40, because there are no screen tests for ovarian cancer, so there is no other way to prevent it from harming you.