Date Range: 2015 (1) Winter

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2015

Highlights of the 2014 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Update

Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast and Ovarian Guidelines For breast cancer screening in BRCA carriers, yearly MRI is recommended starting at age 25; mammograms may be considered in instances where MRI is unavailable or individualized based on earliest age of onset in the family. From age 30-75, annual mammogram and breast MRI is recommended.  Above age …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/5nlw2015/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2015

Highlights of the 2014 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Update

Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Colorectal Guidelines Recommendation that tumors from newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients be screened for Lynch syndrome (called “Universal Tumor Screening”). A new algorithm was created for Routine Tumor Testing Criteria for Lynch Syndrome Surveillance/Management recommendations were refined by gene for the various Lynch Syndrome genes. Management recommendations were refined for other inherited …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/6nlw2015/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2015

PALB2: A Third Important Gene for Inherited Breast Cancer

Following the publication of an important article in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in August 2014, germline PALB2 gene mutations were confirmed as the third most important gene for inherited breast cancer, following BRCA1 and BRCA2.1 PALB2 stands for “partner and localizer of BRCA2” and is located on chromosome 16. Studies suggest that PALB2 mutations …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/1nlw2015/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2015

The First PARP-Inhibitor to Be Approved for Clinical Use in BRCA Carriers

More frequently, cancer drugs are being developed to treat tumors based on their molecular make-up. PARP inhibitors are the first class of drugs specifically developed to treat BRCA-related tumors through targeting the DNA repair pathway. The PARP Inhibitors target this pathway and cause cancer cells to die while healthy cells are spared. Although PARP inhibitors …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/2nlw2015/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2015

Discovery of New Colorectal Cancer Genes

New inherited cancer genes continue to be discovered with the exciting advances made possible through next-generation sequencing technologies. Recent studies identified that the POL genes predispose to inherited colorectal cancer.1,2,3 In one study, Niemenen and colleagues studied a four-generation family with Lynch Syndrome with no evidence of mismatch repair deficiency.2 Through various means (including genetic …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/4nlw2015/

ICARE Newsletter Winter 2015

Ask the Expert

The following question was addressed to Dr. Steven Narod who is a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Breast Cancer and a senior scientist at Women’s College Research Institute in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Narod is a world-leader in the field of breast and ovarian cancer genetics. Over the course of his career, he has profoundly shaped …

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Permanent link to this article: https://inheritedcancer.net/3nlw2015/