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VIDEO: Holly Pederson, MD, reviews risk factors for hereditary breast cancer, modalities for genetic testing
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Several ‘red flags’ may be indicative of familial risk among patients with breast cancer, according to Holly Pederson, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic.
“Red flags for hereditary breast cancer risk include early age at diagnosis (under the age of 50), bilateral breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, male breast cancer, ovarian cancer at any age and breast or ovarian cancer in a Jewish patient or family,” Pederson said.
Typically, the first person tested for familial risk will be the patient with breast cancer, according to Pederson. She reviews the mutations that can be identified through genetic testing and the different methods that are available.
Next-generation sequencing is becoming more common because it is high-throughput, less expensive and provides “a one-time shot” for determining familial risk, Pederson said.