Date Range: 2021 (1) Winter

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2021

Inherited Breast Cancer Genes: Two New Important Articles Just Released

Results of a United States (U.S.)-based study1 and an international study2 were released in January in the New England Journal of Medicine and provide a much clearer picture about the role of inherited breast cancer genes in women without a family history of cancer, and how common these genes may be in the general population. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/2nlw2021/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2021

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

Released September 8th, 2020: Genetic testing criteria by cancer type: Breast Cancer: Broadened to include relatives with ALL grades of prostate cancer (not just high-grade) Having multiple breast cancer diagnoses no longer depends on whether the diagnoses were on two different breasts Prostate Cancer: Now includes cribriform histology and ANY risk group (not just high-grade …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/1nlw2021/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2021

Exploring Disparities Among Those with Inherited Cancers

It has never been more urgent to ensure that advances in genomic technologies do not further widen existing cancer health disparities. In the fall of 2020, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) put forth a report focused on cancer health disparities, in which they highlighted several issues.1 Notably, disparities in inherited cancer care were …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/5nlw2021/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2021

Study Suggests Low Yield of MRI Surveillance After Bilateral Mastectomy

A study of 159 women, including BRCA1/2 carriers, who had a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction and underwent breast MRI screening, showed few women had detection of breast cancer through MRI after their bilateral mastectomy. These results support the recommendation that BRCA1/2 carriers with or without breast cancer who have a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction do …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/8nlw2021/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2021

Community Spotlight

My genes don’t define me. I am AliveAndKickn. Pretty bold statement. AliveAndKickn is more than just a name. It’s a way of life. I joke that Lynch Syndrome is the genetic predisposition to colon cancer, endometrial cancer, other cancers…and soccer. But that’s just me. Besides half a dozen surgeries since 1997, I have and still play and coach the game I love. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/spotlightnlw2021/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2021

Learning You Have a Mutation in an Inherited Cancer Gene: What’s Next?

The benefits achieved through genetic testing for inherited cancer only happen by acting upon the results. This can be through guiding cancer treatment, receiving appropriate cancer risk management strategies, and sharing results with at-risk family members so they too can benefit from this information. We recently reported on results of our study, made possible through …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/6nlw2021/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2021

CHEK2 is NOT a Li-Fraumeni Syndrome Gene

An old study back in 1999 suggested that CHEK2 may be a Li-Fraumeni Syndrome gene.1 However, a subsequent report in 2002 clearly refuted this original assertion, and based on additional data and analysis concluded that “… it is very unlikely that CHEK2 is an alternative Li-Fraumeni Syndrome susceptibility gene.”2 Another subsequent report in 2008 based …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/4nlw2021/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2021

Assessing How Pregnancy and Breastfeeding May Affect Cancer Risks in BRCA Carriers

Results of a recently published study suggested that pregnancy after breast cancer in BRCA carriers does not lead to a worse outcome in women or their fetuses.1 This information is reassuring for BRCA carriers who have had a prior diagnosis of breast cancer and are considering having children. In another study among female BRCA carriers …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/3nlw2021/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2021

Ask the Expert

In each newsletter, we give participants the opportunity to have their questions addressed by experts in the field. This question was addressed by Rebecca Smith, PhD, Laboratory Director at Genetics Associates, Inc. with over 20 years of experience in biomedical research and 7 years of experience in clinical laboratory diagnostics. If you have a question …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/9nlw2021/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2021

Inherited Cancer Treatment: Updates and Relevant Policies

Over the last several months, the American Society of Clinical Oncology published a number of guidelines related to the use of PARP inhibitors among those with BRCA-associated cancers, including guidelines focused on ovarian cancer,1 metastatic pancreatic cancer,2 and breast cancer.3 Additionally, costs of drugs also have great potential to influence policy, highlighting the importance of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/7nlw2021/