Care Consideration: Mastectomy

ICARE Newsletter Fall 2024

Community Spotlight: The Patient and the Researcher Shares Her Uncertain Future and Lessons She’s Learned

By Marleah Dean Kruzel, PhD, BRCA2 Previvor When I was eight years old, my mother found a lump in her breast – barely noticeable. For a few years, I watched her undergo chemotherapy, radiation, and a prophylactic mastectomy and reconstruction. Since then, my maternal aunt and grandmother also fought breast cancer, and we learned my …

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ICARE Newsletter Spring 2024

How Well Do Cancer Risk Management strategies Work Among BRCA Carriers

Several important studies were published recently on the effectiveness of risk management strategies in BRCA carriers. Specifically, a recently published study in which ICARE participants were included suggested that preventive bilateral mastectomy for BRCA carriers greatly reduced the risk of developing breast cancer by 80%.1 Additionally, study findings showed that after preventive mastectomy, the chance …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/icare-newsletter-spring-2024-how-well-do-cancer-risk-management-strategies-work-among-brca-carriers/

ICARE Social Media Post April 2023

Cancer Risks in Older Females with a BRCA Mutation

A recent study among over 2200 females (aged 50-75) with BRCA mutations, including ICARE participants, found 379 diagnosed cancers with breast and ovarian cancer being the most common cancers observed. Overall cancer risks were 49% in BRCA1 carriers and 43% in BRCA2 carriers, and cancer risks dropped to 9% among those who had preventative removal …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/post42823/

Newsletter Fall 2021

PALB2 : Increasingly Recognized as the Third Most Important Inherited Breast Cancer Gene

In May 2021, a clinical practice resource was released by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) from a global team of cancer genetics specialists (see figure) to help guide the care of PALB2 carriers.1 PALB2 is considered the third most important breast cancer risk gene, after BRCA1 and BRCA2, with PALB2 carriers …

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Newsletter Fall 2021

Updates to NCCN Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment

Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic Guidelines V.1.2022: Released August 11th, 2021 Colorectal Cancer Guidelines V.1.2021: Released May 11th, 2021 Check out the full NCCN guidelines by creating a FREE account at www.nccn.org

Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/newsletter-fall-2021-updates-to-nccn-genetic-familial-high-risk-assessment/

ICARE Social Media Post December 2022

Bilateral Mastectomy in BRCA1/2, PALB2, ATM, & CHEK2 Carriers

A recent study including data from ICARE participants found similar rates of bilateral mastectomy across high (BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2) and moderate (ATM, CHEK2) penetrance genes. The high rates of bilateral mastectomies seen in those with moderate penetrance genes is concerning for overtreatment. Use the link to learn more: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2797978?guestAccessKey=fe9a3a20-8623-4feb-a0c5-315ad43a8fcb&utm_source=jps&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=author_alert-jamanetwork&utm_content=author-author_engagement&utm_term=1m Reference: Reid et al. Receipt of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/post120822/

ICARE Social Media Post August 2022

Nipple sparing mastectomy: BRCA1/2 carriers

According to a recent study, a bilateral prophylactic nipple-sparing mastectomy appears to be at least equally as safe as other types of mastectomy for preventing breast cancer. Read the full article at the link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34342702/Reference: Stanek et al. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2022 Apr;46(2):706-711. PMID: 34342702.

Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/post82922/

ICARE Social Media Post August 2020

MRI Surveillance Has Very Low Yield After Bilateral Mastectomy and Reconstruction

A study of 159 women, including BRCA carriers, who had bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction, underwent breast MRI screening. The results showed few women had detection of breast cancer through MRI, after their bilateral mastectomy. These results support the recommendation against screening MRI in women who have had bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction due to a diagnosis …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/post81820/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2020

Community Spotlight

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2018 and was found to be PALB2+. The PALB2 gene had not been tested for when my older sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and had genetic testing done four years earlier. This was new! My cancer was very similar to my sister’s, but being PALB2+ changed …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/spotlightnlw2020/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2020

Updates to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic

There were significant updates and restructuring of the guidelines, with some highlights included below: Substantial reorganization of the guidelines as follows: Now organized by organ site, rather than primarily by certain high penetrance genes Focused efforts to simplify genetic testing criteria Only one flow diagram included, to outline the ‘genetic testing process’ Following scenarios now …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/1nlw2020/

ICARE Social Media Post December 2019

Updates to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Genetic/Familial Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic Guidelines (V1.2020)

We are excited to share the latest version of the NCCN Genetic/Familial Breast, Ovarian and Pancreatic Guidelines (V1.2020), which were just updated. Some of the changes made include: PALB2 was added as a high penetrance gene (similar to BRCA1, BRCA2, CDH1, PTEN and TP53) It is appropriate to consider risk reducing mastectomy for cancer risk management …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/post12419/

ICARE Newsletter Summer 2018

Ask the Expert

The following question was addressed by Ronald D. Alvarez, MD, MBA who is Professor, Chairman, and Clinical Service Chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Alvarez has been the recipient of several National Cancer Institute (NCI) and other industry funded grants in support of his …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/10nls2018/

ICARE Newsletter Summer 2017

Ask the Expert

The following question was addressed by Dr. Steven Narod who is a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Breast Cancer and a senior scientist at the Women’s College Research Institute in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Narod is a world-leader in the field of breast and ovarian cancer genetics. Q. In women with a BRCA mutation and …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/6nls2017/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2016

Ask the Expert

The following question was addressed by Dr. Christine Laronga at the Moffitt Cancer Center: Q. As a BRCA carrier, is it reasonable for me to consider nipple-sparing mastectomy (compared to total mastectomy) to reduce my future risks of breast cancer? A. One  strategy to manage the high (60-70%) lifetime breast cancer risk among women with …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/6nlw2016/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2014

Contralateral Mastectomy May Improve Survival in BRCA Mutation Carriers

It has been established that women who carry a germline BRCA mutation face breast cancer risks of 60-70% in their lifetime. After an initial breast cancer diagnosis, these women face a high risk for contralateral breast cancer. Some women with BRCA mutations move forward with contralateral mastectomy when they develop their first breast cancer diagnosis (as …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/1nlw2014/

ICARE Newsletter Summer 2012

Ask the Expert: What are the recommendations for screening following prophylactic surgeries?

The following questions were addressed by Drs. Pal and Lancaster at the Moffitt Cancer Center: Q. What are the recommendations for screening following prophylactic surgeries? A. In BRCA mutation carriers, bilateral prophylactic mastectomy reduces the risk of breast cancer by over 90%. It essentially lowers the risk of breast cancer to below that of the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/5nls2012/