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On Tuesday (August 20), the US Preventive Services Task Force, a panel of federally appointed independent experts that makes recommendations about preventive care, published updated guidelines for testing people for mutations in the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, some variants of which are associated with increased risks of breast, ovarian, and some other cancers. The new guidelines, which appear in JAMA, expand the group of women recommended to undergo BRCA1/2 risk assessments, but do not recommend broad screening for mutations in the two genes, GenomeWeb reports.
Previous guidelines by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) already advised physicians to screen women with family members who have BRCA-related cancers and refer them to genetic counselors as needed, the Associated Press notes. The new guidelines also recommend that doctors perform BRCA1/2 risk assessments on women who have previously been treated for breast, ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers, ...
