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Published in News for Women on Sep 10th 2014

Study of Jewish Women Shows Link to Cancer Without Family History

Women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent have high rates of breast and ovarian cancer after testing positive for cancer-causing genetic mutations. Those women who tested positive were randomly screened and would never had known that they carried the genetic mutation if not for their participation in a study. This discovery leads to a discussion of when and how often women of certain ancestries should undergo screenings, and if a "universal screening test" is needed to identify carriers of BRCA1 and NRCA2 genes. At PWOG, Dr. Lofquist is an expert in genetic testing, including testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2. Patients with a family history of cancer who are at-risk are referred to Dr. Lofquist for counseling and other cancer treatment procedures. Read the New York Times article in full.