The number of women who seek genetic testing to evaluate their risk of developing breast cancer has witnessed a sharp increase. This trend was driven by several factors including celebrity endorsements, says study conducted at University of Georgia. "BRCA testing and counseling provide important information on the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers among women with family history of the cancers," said Zhuo "Adam" Chen, an associate professor of health policy and management at UGA’s College of Public Health and lead author on the study. "Appropriate use of BRCA testing would lead to reduction in avoidable cancer mortalities and morbidities."
‘BRCA gene testing increased 80-fold during 2003 to 2014, with a large spike in testing occurring in 2013, the year that Angelina Jolie promoted breast cancer screening and testing.’
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Women with hereditary BRCA gene mutations have a 45 to 65 percent risk of developing breast cancer before age 70, compared to 7 percent in the general population, according to the National Cancer Institute. Chen and his colleagues wanted to understand the trends in BRCA testing costs and utilization. Their study analyzed testing rates, payment to the provider, and out-of-pocket costs for patients from 2003 to 2014, and compared findings to reported revenue from Myriad Genetics, the only provider of the test until 2013.
Overall, BRCA testing increased 80-fold during those 11 years, with a large spike in testing occurring in 2013.
That same year Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie published an op-ed in The New York Times promoting BRCA gene testing and the Supreme Court struck down the patent on BRCA gene testing.
"This could provide insights on the impact of the policy changes and the media coverage of celebrity endorsement," said Chen.
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Though it may be tempting to connect the whirlwind of media coverage surrounding Jolie’s decision to have a double mastectomy following a positive BRCA test, Chen says the available data cannot point to which event had a greater impact.
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His team has done some analyses examining the difference in the use of BRCA testing among women at elevated risk versus women at low risk, but any significant differences were hard to tease out from available data.
"In a companion study, we did examine whether women had follow-up surgical procedures and found an urban and rural disparity in the follow-up rates," said Chen. "Women residing in urban areas consistently had a higher rates of follow-up surgical procedures than those in rural areas, though the gap is narrowing."
As genetic testing becomes more accessible, Chen sees potential for individuals to make more informed decisions about their health.
"We live in a fortunate time where technology advances have greatly improved the quality of human life," he said.
Source-Eurekalert