family history based genetic testing misses high risk people

besa

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-12-current-gene...

Study was done in the UK......

"Research led by a University of Manchester academic on the BRCA gene mutation in the Jewish population shows that the current process of identifying people which relies on assessing someone's family history, misses half the people who have the mutation and are at risk of developing cancer.",,,,,,,,,,,

Researches in the UK " assessed the difference between family history-based testing and population screening in the Ashkenazi Jewish community, which is known to have a significantly higher number of people carrying the BRCA gene mutations than the non-Jewish population.

The researchers also carried out a cost-effectiveness analysis, and a study of the impact of testing on psychological health and quality of life. The results from both papers are published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

In the study, 56% of people carrying a BRCA mutation were not identified by the existing family history criteria but were identified by population testing. Other key findings included:

• No significant difference in the short-term psychological impact or quality of life between those tested through population screening than those through family history testing.
• Screening all Ashkenazi Jewish women aged 30 and over, compared with family history testing, would cut the number of ovarian and breast cancers that occur and could potentially save the NHS £3.7million."