Predicting Breast Cancer Via Gene Tests is Inaccurate

Boston (DbTechNo) – Results of a new study show that genetic tests can not predict who is most likely to develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

Researchers compared the traditional method of asking women a series of health questions to gain an understanding of their past history, to genetic tests to check for the likelyhood of breast cancer.

A total of 11,588 women age 50 to 79 took part in the study and more than 5000 of them had previously been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The researchers found no distinct advantage with either method, but stated that when both methods were combined, results proved that predicting breast cancers was indeed possible to an extent.

For the genetic tests, 10 of the most common types of gene mutations were used which are present in 20 to 40 percent of all women.

The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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