Frequency of Breast Cancer Attributable to BRCA1 in a Population-Based Series of American Women

Abstract

COMMERCIAL availability of genetic tests for BRCA1 and BRCA2 poses a dilemma. Many professional and advocacy groups currently recommend testing for breast cancer predisposition in the context of research protocols.^1-3 However, when confronted by medical concerns and by the marketplace, clinicians and consumers may find the choice to test difficult to reject. Actual frequencies of inherited BRCA1 mutations in white and black patients from the general population (ie, not selected for age at diagnosis or family history) may help inform testing decisions for the general population of American women.