Most women carrying cancer genes take action: study

Women who screen positive for gene mutations that promote breast and ovarian cancers usually opt for surgery to cut their risk of the diseases, a new study suggests. The research, reported in the journal Cancer, followed 465 women who were tested for mutations in the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 that substantially boost the lifetime risks of breast and ovarian cancers.

It found that more than 80 percent of women who tested positive for the harmful mutations ultimately chose to have surgery to remove their ovaries, breasts or both. Read more…