Hereditary cancer: Guidelines in clinical practice. Breast and ovarian cancer genetics

Abstract

The discovery of two major breast and ovarian cancer-predisposing genes has led to the introduction of genetic testing for risk prediction into routine clinical practice. The measures available to address an increase in breast and ovarian cancer risk are still relatively limited and the overall benefits in terms of mortality reduction in particular are still controversial. In the clinic, efforts to clarify the many areas of uncertainty will be facilitated by well-designed, comprehensive prospective studies, and close collaboration between clinicians and laboratory scientists is key to rapid and meaningful progress. © 2004 European Society for Medical Oncology.