Life as a Male With a BRCA Mutation

We have heard so much about BRCA since the coming-out party of Angelina Jolie in 2012.

Prior to Angelina putting the BRCA mutation on the general public’s map, the only people who understood anything about it were the patients, their families, and some medical professionals. I say “some” because my journey as a BRCA2-positive male has proven to me that many doctors had no …

Genetic Testing and Your Family Relationships

With the approach of Mother’s Day in the United States in May, followed soon after by Father’s Day, our thoughts often turn to our grandparents and parents, aunts and uncles. If your family has experienced multiple cases of breast cancer and possibly other types of cancer, you also may be thinking about your health history — and whether or not your family members might be …

What My Patients Are Asking: Follow-up on the Supreme Court’s Ruling That Human Genes Can’t Be Patented

The Supreme Court has ruled 9-0 that human genes cannot be patented. The Court ruled unanimously in this case that Myriad Genetics’ patents on the BRCA1 and 2 genes were invalid. The decision is a victory for patients and for industry.

This is good news for patients because access to genetic testing will improve. I spoke with George Prendergast, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of Cancer Research and …

Genetic Testing: An Emotional Decision

Genetic testing for breast cancer evokes emotional issues from the moment a woman begins to consider testing or is told that a close family member is considering genetic testing. This is true whether or not the individual woman has herself been diagnosed with breast cancer. Concerns over the results of the testing, and where those results may lead, often cause anxiety and other stress reactions. …

What My Patients Are Asking: How Will the Supreme Court’s Decision on BRCA Genes Affect Me?

On April 15, 2013, the Supreme Court heard a challenge by a group of scientists to Myriad Genetics’ patent of the BRCA1 and 2 genes. On May 14, actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie revealed that she’d had a preventive double mastectomy because testing had shown her to be positive for the BRCA1 mutation, bringing further attention to the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision.

Everyone has BRCA1 …