Panel testing for familial breast cancer: Calibrating the tension between research and clinical care

Abstract

Purpose Gene panel sequencing is revolutionizing germline risk assessment for hereditary breast cancer. Despite scant evidence supporting the role of many of these genes in breast cancer predisposition, results are often reported to families as the definitive explanation for their family history. We assessed the frequency of mutations in 18 genes included in hereditary breast cancer panels among index cases from families with breast cancer and matched population controls. Patients and Methods Cases (n= 2,000) were predominantly breast cancer-affected women referredto specialized Familial Cancer Centers on the basis of a strong family history of breast cancer and BRCA1 and BRCA2 wild type. Co..