A new study conducted by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, states that among nearly 4 million women in the United States who possess a medical history of ovarian cancer or breast cancer, 1.5 million have an increased risk of bearing some kinds of genetic mutations, which might increase the probability of causing additional cancers in the future.
According to the study, over 80% of those women – even though a simple saliva or blood test is enough to identify the mutations that affect the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes – are found to have not taken the test or even discussed the issue with a health care professional.
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If they are aware that they have these mutations, these individuals might be able to take steps which include undergoing specialized screenings frequently, taking preventive medications and risk reducing surgery, or make changes in their lifestyles (like improving diet, exercise habits, or stopping smoking) in order to decrease the future risk of cancer.
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With the help of these resultant data, the researchers estimated that a 1.2 million – 1.3 million women in the U.S who were likely to benefit from the rest had not taken it.
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