Development of Genetic Testing for Breast, Ovarian... [Curr Drug Targets. 2010] - PubMed result

Curr Drug Targets. 2010 Dec 15. [Epub ahead of print]
Development of Genetic Testing for Breast, Ovarian and Colorectal Cancer Predisposition: A Step Closer to Targeted Cancer Prevention.

Eccles DM.

Wessex Clinical Genetics Service, Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton SO16 5YA, UK. d.m.eccles@soton.ac.uk.

Abstract

Individuals who inherit a high penetrance cancer susceptibility gene represent a population in which cancer diagnoses occur at younger ages and much more frequently than in the general population. Screening regimens aimed at early detection of cancer may reduce cancer mortality but in order to reduce cancer incidence, surgery and medical therapies have been advocated. In high genetic risk patients intervention, either surgical or medical, at young ages may provide long term protection against cancer and co-morbidities will be low. The use of genetic testing for high risk predisposition genes to refine risk estimates and inform choices about cancer prevention is now readily available in many countries and routinely used to target cancer prevention strategies. Surgical approaches to cancer prevention are currently the mainstay in many conditions where a high risk is identified but medical preventions strategies also have demonstrated some efficacy in lowering cancer risk. Using the genetic status of an individual to target cancer treatment and prevent recurrence is increasingly gaining momentum and entering the arena in the form of targeted clinical trials using both well known cytotoxic drugs and novel targeted agents. Translation of this new knowledge into beneficial clinical care strategies requires more research and robust cancer prevention clinical trials will inevitably require large collaborative international endeavour.

PMID: 21158705 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Development of Genetic Testing for Breast, Ovarian... [Curr Drug Targets. 2010] - PubMed result