Quest to offer genetic test for breast cancer risk
Quest Diagnostics Inc on Tuesday became the largest U.S. company to start offering gene-based tests for inherited forms of breast cancer since the U.S. Supreme Court ended Myriad Genetics Inc’s monopoly on the tests for specific gene mutations.
Quest, the largest U.S. medical testing company by revenue, said its BRCAvantage tests will search for mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which dramatically increase a woman’s risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers.
After a long legal battle, the U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled that naturally occurring human genes could not be patented, effectively ending Myriad’s stranglehold on the market for BRCA testing.
Myriad’s BRCA tests gained worldwide attention earlier this year when Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie publicly announced she had undergone a double mastectomy after learning through the Myriad test that she carried the gene mutations and an 87 percent risk of developing breast cancer without the preemptive surgery.
Breast cancer kills about 458,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization. It estimated that one in 300 to one in 500 women carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. An estimated five percent to 10 percent of female breast cancers are associated with inherited gene mutations with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations the most commonly identified cause, Quest said.
Despite the vast publicity surrounding Jolie’s announcement and the subsequent Supreme Court ruling, a national survey of 1,460 U.S. women aged 18 and older conducted for Quest found 72 percent of respondents had never heard of the BRCA test.
Fifty eight percent said they would want to know if they carried the high-risk gene mutations, yet only 17 percent of those who said they were familiar with BRCA testing had discussed it with a healthcare provider, according to the survey conducted this month by Harris Interactive.
The size of Quest could help spread awareness along with availability of the genetic testing. The Quest BRCA tests are now available in 49 states and awaiting a state review in New York, where it is expected to be available later this year, the company said.
Quest has more than 2,100 centers in the United States at which patients can submit blood samples for genetic testing. The cost of the test is about $2,500, a drop from the $3,000 to $4,000 Myriad had charged for its tests.
Breast Cancer Risk Factors
Research has found several risk factors that may increase your chances of getting breast cancer.
Reproductive Risk Factors
Being younger when you first had your menstrual period.
Starting menopause at a later age.
Being older at the birth of your first child.
Never giving birth.
Not breastfeeding.
Long-term use of hormone-replacement therapy.
Other Risk Factors
Getting older.
Personal history of breast cancer or some non-cancerous breast diseases.
Family history of breast cancer (mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, or son).
Treatment with radiation therapy to the breast/chest.
Dense breasts External Web Site Icon by mammogram.
Being overweight (increases risk for breast cancer after menopause).
Having changes in the breast cancer-related genes BRCA1 or BRCA2.
Drinking alcohol (more than one drink a day).
Not getting regular exercise.
Having a risk factor does not mean you will get the disease. Most women have some risk factors and most women do not get breast cancer. If you have breast cancer risk factors, talk with your doctor about ways you can lower your risk and about screening for breast cancer.
Quest said it believes the vast majority of women for whom BRCAvantage testing would be appropriate will have it covered under health insurance plans.
A large study published recently in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention found that walking was linked to a lower risk for breast cancer in women who have gone through menopause, and for whom walking was their only form of physical activity in leisure time.
The findings add to a growing pile of evidence linking regular exercise with lower risk for breast cancer.
In their analysis of over 70,000 postmenopausal women, American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers also found that walking was linked to lower breast cancer risk regardless of whether the women were overweight or obese or gained weight during the study period.
The link between exercise and lower risk of cancer also appeared to be independent of whether or not the women took hormone therapy for treating menopause symptoms.
In addition, exercise was linked to lower risk for both estrogen receptor positive and estrogen receptor negative cancers.
Nearly half of the women in the study reported walking was their only recreational activity and of these, those who walked 7 or more hours a week had a 14% lower risk of breast cancer, compared with counterparts who only walked 3 hours or less a week.
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(Reuters)