Family history, BRCA mutations and breast cancer in Vietnamese women.

The purpose of this report is to estimate the proportions of familial and hereditary breast cancers among unselected cases of breast cancer in Vietnam. Two hundred and ninety-two unselected cases of incident breast cancer were recruited from the National Cancer Hospital, Hanoi, the largest cancer centre in Vietnam. Family histories were collected for 292 cases and a DNA sample was obtained for 259 cases.

Patient satisfaction and cancer-related distress among unselected Jewish women undergoing genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2.

It is not known to what extent participation in a genetic testing program for BRCA1 and BRCA2, which does not include an extensive pre-test counselling session, influences cancer-related distress, cancer risk perception and patient satisfaction. Unselected Jewish women in Ontario were offered genetic testing for three common Jewish BRCA mutations. Before testing and 1-year post-testing, the women completed questionnaires which assessed cancer-related distress, cancer risk perception, and satisfaction.

Screening for founder mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 in unselected Jewish women.

Purpose: There are two mutations in BRCA1 and one mutation in BRCA2 that are present in up to 2.5% of Ashkenazi Jewish women. Current guidelines for testing stipulate that a personal or family history of cancer be present to be eligible for testing.

Rapid progression of prostate cancer in men with a BRCA2 mutation.

Men with BRCA2 mutations have been found to be at increased risk of developing prostate cancer. There is a recent report that BRCA2 carriers with prostate cancer have poorer survival than noncarrier prostate cancer patients. In this study, we compared survival of men with a BRCA2 mutation and prostate cancer with that of men with a BRCA1 mutation and prostate cancer.

A survey of preventive measures among BRCA1 mutation carriers from Poland.

Among women with a BRCA1 mutation, the lifetime risks of breast and ovarian cancer are elevated. Several measures for reducing cancer risk in carriers of BRCA1 mutations have been proposed, including prophylactic surgery and tamoxifen chemoprevention. It is not yet known to what extent women with mutations have adopted these various preventive measures.