Breast Cancer Genes Traced Back To Father's Family

A new study of American women suffering from breast cancer has traced the roots of the disease to that of the father. The study authors say that many women with breast cancer are deprived of testing to identify faulty genes and clarify their medical decisions.

The study, appearing in tomorrow's Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at the genetic test results from 306 women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50. It was concluded that the deadly gene's path can hide in a family tree when a woman has few aunts and older sisters, thus indicating the fact that it originates from the father's side of the family.

AP quotes study co-author Dr. Jeffrey Weitzel of City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, California as saying, "Interestingly, it's about Dad." Nearly half of genetic breast cancers are inherited from a woman's father, not her mother.

Weitzel also added that unless the father has female relatives with breast cancer, there is a possibility that the faulty gene may have been passed down silently, without causing cancer

The study also urges the insurance companies to change the rules for health claims and should include coverage for genetic testing to include the new findings. Genetic testing can cost more than $3,000.

Experts also recommend any woman who gets breast cancer before age 50, to get a genetic test that would help her decide whether to have the unaffected breast or her ovaries removed to prevent more cancer.

Dr. Noah Kauff, a cancer geneticist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Told AP, "The study allows physicians and patients to make an argument to insurance carriers that, although there's not a family history of breast cancer, it's still reasonable to test and it should be a covered benefit."

source:www.allheadlinenews.com