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Psychological Implications of Testing Positive for the BRCA Gene

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Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women with approximately 230,000 cases diagnosed annually [1]. Women in the United States have a 1 in 8 chance of developing the disease. While most cases of breast cancer do not have a strong familial component, it is estimated that approximately 5–10 % of cases of breast cancer are due to a known genetic factor [2]. In women with a known BRCA 1 or 2 mutation, 40–66 % will eventually develop breast cancer (compared to 10–12 % in the general population) [3]. In response, The American College of Medical Genetics published guidelines for genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer in 1999.

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Correspondence to Timothy Pearman Ph.D. .

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Pearman, T. (2013). Psychological Implications of Testing Positive for the BRCA Gene. In: Hansen, N. (eds) Management of the Patient at High Risk for Breast Cancer. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5891-3_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5891-3_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5891-3

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