Other Pages
|
The Test
With the patient's consent, a health professional will take 20ml (4 teaspoons) of blood to carry out extensive
testing on genes associated with breast cancer. In general, there are minimal if any side effects from this procedure; occasionally there may be some small pain or discomfort, and a small bruise may form. The blood will be stored in a central testing laboratory where genetic material (DNA) will be extracted for genetic testing for a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic fault.
It is now possible to test whether a person has inherited a genetic fault (mutation) in a breast cancer susceptibility gene. Genetic testing for mutations is available through Family Cancer Clinics in most states of Australia. Genetic testing detects most but not all mutations in the known breast cancer susceptibility genes. It is possible that some families carry mutations in other genes involved in breast cancer that are as yet undiscovered.
|