Genetics

Analyses of clinical trials continue to illuminate the role of the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) in the treatment of women with ovarian cancer, Ursula A. Matulonis, MD, explained during a plenary session at the 2015 Society of Gynecologic Oncology's Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer.

Kim M. Hirshfield, MD, PhD, medical oncologist, Stacy Goldstein Breast Cancer Center, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, discusses selecting individuals to screen for genetic mutations and the challenges of better selecting patients to screen.

Pierre Adams shares her story on being diagnosed while being pregnant with twins

Based on results from a new study, researchers now have a better understanding about the mechanisms behind the link between aspirin, NSAIDs, and colorectal cancer prevention.

During President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address last week, he announced a nationwide Precision Medicine Initiative that would help cure diseases such as cancer and diabetes. This morning he built on his announcement and outlined a $215 million plan to help develop precision medicine nationwide.

Joan Lunden talks about imaging technology and genetic testing for the early detection of breast cancer with Roy Firestone and Patrick I. Borgen, MD, in advance of her keynote address at the 32nd Miami Breast Cancer Conference (MBCC).

Researchers from the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered new gene mutations that are unique to colon cancer in African American patients, who have the highest incidence and death rate from the disease.

As one of the most significant predictors of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, the BRCA1/2 genes have become the poster child for genetic testing. In the past 18 months, the floodgates for testing options have opened, as companies seek to enter the diagnostic market in the wake of the US Supreme Court's June 2013 ruling that "naturally occurring" human genes are a "product of nature" and cannot be patented, breaking Myriad Genetics' monopoly on BRCA1/2 gene testing.

In a role that's already multifaceted and growing ever more so, many oncology nurses and navigators are facing a new layer of complexity in their everyday practice.

The FDA has approved the PARP inhibitor olaparib (Lynparza) for the treatment of women with BRCA-positive advanced ovarian cancer. The approval was based on results from a single-arm phase II study of patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated advanced cancers

Anees B. Chagpar, MD, MSc, MA, MPH, associate professor of surgery (oncology), director, The Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven, program director, Interdisciplinary Breast Fellowship, assistant director, Diversity and Health Equity at Yale Cancer Center, discusses a study that looked at patient perceptions of the impact of genetic testing for breast cancer risk on health insurance.

For individuals living in rural areas, getting a genetic test can impose its own set of barriers, like multiple long trips for counseling, testing, and follow-up. However, findings of a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute have shown that telephone counseling was just as effective as in-person counseling in many respects.

Families are communities within themselves-full of intrigue, adventures, worries, joys, and assorted characters.

The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor veliparib exhibits antitumor activity and is safe and tolerable on a continuous dosing schedule when used for the treatment of patients with BRCA-positive and BRCA–wild type tumors.

Academic medical centers and commercial genetics laboratories across the country have joined forces to establish the Prospective Registry Of Multi-Plex Testing (PROMPT), an online registry for individuals and families who have undergone testing for inherited cancer-causing genetic mutations.

Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), the nation's only nonprofit organization dedicated to families with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC), is celebrating National Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Week and National Previvor Day to create awareness and recognize those affected by a genetic predisposition to these cancers.

More than one-third of patients with breast or ovarian cancer or a family history of those diseases who also saw a genetic counselor did not pursue genetic testing for BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 mutations

With more and more data supporting the association between actress Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy and an increase in the amount of patients seeking genetic testing, the attention is on genetic counselors to improve their intake model to more efficiently handle the increased demand.

The demand for genetic services has never been greater. Vast advances in genetic technology, Angelina Jolie's disclosure that she is a BRCA mutation carrier, and the Supreme Court ruling on gene patents have hurled genetic services into the mainstream. Since the Supreme Court ruling last year, the cost of germline (hereditary) genetic testing has plummeted and now includes panels of genes.

Several new genetic risk markers in pancreatic cancer have been found, scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute announced.

Genetics may be to blame for an increase in the number of young men diagnosed with prostate cancer, researchers say.

FORCE has collaborated with researchers at the University of South Florida and the Michigan Department of Community Health to form the ABOUT Patient-Powered Research Network

Everything we know and will learn in the future about hereditary cancer risks, screening, and treatment comes from years of scientific research and the direct participation of thousands of volunteers.

Receiving counseling from a genetic healthcare provider before genetic testing educates patients and may help reduce unnecessary procedures

The majority of women with breast cancer who undergo the recommended genetic testing for BRCA1/2 mutations and test positive prior to undergoing surgery will change their surgical plan to include a more extensive procedure, a new study reports.

A recent survey conducted by the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) showed a significant increase in patient calls and requests for testing and referrals from healthcare providers in the year following actress Angelina Jolie's announcement of her BRCA mutation status and subsequent double mastectomy.

New data has revealed that breastfeeding, tubal ligation, and oral contraceptives may lower the risk of ovarian cancer for some women with BRCA gene mutations,

Women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian, tubal, and peritoneal cancers should be considered for genetic counseling and testing, even in the absence of a family history.

Oncology practitioners now have several resources to consult for advice on genetic testing for their patients following the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) December 2013 update of its 2005 BRCA recommendations, plus new recommendations from the American Socieity of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) announced in February and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Study from one cancer center shows low knowledge and comfort levels.