Breast cancer ranks first among cancers seen in women. Stating that genetic tests are extremely important in breast cancer and especially in young patients, it is necessary to review whether the necessary tests are performed and whether there is a need, as soon as cancer is diagnosed, Anadolu Medical Center Medical Oncology Specialist Prof. Dr. Serdar Turhal said, “As a result of these examinations, it is possible to calculate the probability of developing cancer related to both breast and ovaries and to plan for preventive surgery. In addition, the results of this examination have a guiding role in predicting the cancer risk in the patient's close relatives ”.
Emphasizing that genetic testing is not a simple blood test, Anadolu Health Center Medical Oncology Specialist Prof. Dr. Serdar Turhal said, “It is very important that the information obtained as a result of this examination is evaluated by the patient and the experts. While making these evaluations, the family history of cancer is as important as the cancer history of the patient himself, and since the number of physicians in the field of specialization to make this evaluation is low even in the USA, these examinations are not very common. It is known that even in the United States, many women do not have genetic testing because their doctors do not raise this issue. "While only the BRCA gene was looked at in breast cancer patients in the past, it is now recommended to look at a broader panel and review the patient's predisposition to develop cancer again over more than 20 genes," he said.
Genetic testing should be evaluated in cancers with more than one
Medical Oncology Specialist Prof. Dr. Serdar Turhal said, “Not only cancer at a young age, but also individuals with more than one cancer disease, individuals with both breast and ovarian cancer, individuals with the same type of cancer at a young age in close relatives, individuals with cancer in a few generations of the family, rare tumors were seen at a late age. However, deciding whether it is suitable for these examinations stands out as individual characteristics that should be taken into account ”.
Genetic tests provide information on what age range the cancer can occur
Reminding that 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are due to hereditary causes. Dr. Serdar Turhal, “Short names of the genes examined are APC, EPCAM, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, PTEN, TP53, CHEK2, ATM, BRCA (PALB2). However, it is an examination that is not limited to only these genes. These examination results generally give information such as which cancer may occur and how often, at which age range the risk is highest. For this, decisions can be made on conservative surgical operations and follow-up examinations. Taking breast is a situation that can be decided by reviewing these risk values together by the patient and the physician. It is not a mathematical formula. It should be an individualized decision, ”he said.
Genetic tests can also be performed in prostate, pancreatic, stomach and kidney cancers.
Reminding that genetic tests can be beneficial in revealing not only breast cancer, but also different cancers such as colon cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, melanoma, kidney cancer, endometrial cancer or cancer syndromes in which several cancers can be seen together. Dr. Serdar Turhal said, “Sometimes there may be results in this report that there are some genetic changes, but the relevance of this to cancer formation has not been proven yet. "The patients with these conditions are monitored over time during the maturation of this information and if it is revealed that these genetic changes are also important, genetic changes of unknown importance are reported by reaching these patients and informing them about the precautions they will take."
Hibya News Agency
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