HOUSTON

Women with a family history of breast and ovarian cancer should make education about the disease and their risk for it a priority, said a breast oncologist and genetic counselor from the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine. “Breast cancer genetic research is advancing rapidly,” said Dr. Julie Nangia, an assistant professor in the Smith Breast Center. “Providing more education on breast and ovarian cancer prevention in high-risk women is a top priority in the breast cancer community.” “Identifying high-risk women is key to early detection/prevention and saves lives,” said Nangia. “Women who have a strong family history may be at a high risk to develop cancer.” Additionally, there are known genetic mutations that may significantly increase the risk for breast and ovarian cancer, said Zentack. “Testing is available to identify mutations for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.” Genetic experts such as Zentack help assess the need for testing. “We consider multiple factors when deciding which family members of breast cancer patients should be tested, including the type of cancer, age and how close the relation is,” said Zentack. Carriers of the BRCA mutation should be aggressively screened and consider preventative surgeries, Nangia said. They should also be offered preventative medications such as chemoprevention with tamoxifen or raloxifene, which can reduce breast cancer risk by 50 percent. Lifestyle changes such as reducing alcohol intake and maintaining a healthy weight and exercise schedule are also important behaviors to reduce risk for all women.