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Breast cancer - managing family history - Management
Basis for recommendation
- These recommendations are based on the guideline from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) [NICE, 2006a], and advice from Breakthrough Breast cancer [Breakthrough Breast Cancer, 2009] and CKS expert reviewers.
Genetic testing
- NICE reviewed the available evidence and concluded that [McIntosh et al, 2004]:
- Uptake of genetic testing is relatively high, indicating the acceptability of such programmes.
- Most women cope well in the interval between blood sampling and receiving the result.
- As expected, women found to be carriers of BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations have more psychological morbidity on post-test follow ups than those with a negative result.
- Face to face counselling and discussion is useful.
Time taken for the results of a genetic test to be available
- These standards have been set by the Department of Health in their white paper Our inheritance, our future:realising the potential of genetics in the NHS [DH, 2003].
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