Research Reveals Many Women Do Not Follow Through with Recommended Genetic Testing

The researchers examined reasons why there was such a disparity between the genetic testing orders and the number of women who underwent the genetic testing:

The guidelines of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) have changed over the years for Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment placing tests for BRCA into a high scrutiny category requiring high lever oversight.
The board-certified U.S. genetic counselors who specialize in cancer testing are limited and widely dispersed.

Also, patients may change doctors. The new practitioners may not be aware of patients’ cancer histories.

Most disconcerting to the team was that 80% of the women in the study hadn’t done their genetic testing nor had they even talked about it with a healthcare provider.

Statistics show that at least 1.5 million women have a high risk of carrying certain types of genetic mutations that could increase the risk for additional future cancers involving them and/or family members.