Sharsheret free teleconf about new screening guidelines (11/19/09)
Sharsheret, a national organization "Linking Young Jewish Women in Their Fight Against Breast Cancer", will provide a free teleconference on Tuesday, November 24th at 8:30 PM (EST), entitled, "New Breast Cancer Screening
Guidelines: What Do They Mean For Me?". To register for the teleconference, e-mail events@sharsheret.org. Dial 888-479-6525 at the time of the conference to be connected. This may be a way to understand what your patients are hearing and give you tools to answer the many questions asked.
We will continue to post helpful messages regarding the new screening guidelines as a way to support you in the care of your patients.
USPSTF recommendations; MRI; ONS Response (11/19/09)
I am sure everyone has heard the new recommnedations by USPSTF, whihc are not supported by most reputable breast cancer specialists and programs. I wanted to include their recommendation regarding breast MRIs, as these are used in our patients with high risk, premenopausal, and dense breast tissue.
The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the additional benefits and harms of either digital mammography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) instead of film mammography as screening modalities for breast cancer.
I am also including ONS' Response.
ONS Responds to Update on Breast Cancer Screening Evidence regarding the benefits of mammography screening and breast self-examination has been conflicting, and recently announced guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force further add to the dialogue about this important issue. The task force?s update recommends against routine screening mammography in women aged 40?49 and teaching breast self-examinations. This is a change from the previous recommendation developed in 2002 that recommended routine screening mammography in women aged 40?49 every one to two years and stated that insufficient evidence existed at that time to recommend or not recommend breast self-examination instruction.
ONS strongly supports the use of evidence-based research in clinical decision making. The ONS Position on Breast Cancer Screening was developed in 2006 and reflected the most up-to-date research at that time. In light of the new evidence, the ONS Board of Directors will review its position and consider the possibility of a revision of its statement. In the meantime, ONS stands by its position that "the benefits, risks, and potential limitations of breast self-exam, clinical breast exam, and mammography need to be discussed with each woman and tailored to her risk factor assessment."
Mutation in FOXL2 in Granulosa-Cell Tumors of the Ovary (11/17/09)
Shah SP, Kobel M, Senz J, et al
N Engl J Med. 2009;360:2719-2729. Epub 2009 Jun 10
Summary
Investigators exploring the genetic profile of a small number of adult ovarian granulosa cell tumors found that each had a specific missense point mutation in FOXL2 (402C > G [C134W]), a gene that had previously been shown to play an important role in the normal development of ovarian granulosa cells. To validate their findings, they examined 89 additional adult ovarian granulosa cell tumors and found that 86 (97%) had the same missense mutation. Of note, the FOXL2 mutation was not seen in the 329 ovarian or breast cancers examined, nor in 49 nongranulosa cell malignant ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors, but was seen in 1 of 10 ovarian juvenile-type granulosa cell tumors as well as in 3 of 14 thecomas.
NIH Appoints Dr. Eric D. Green As Next NHGRI Director (11/17/09)
Eric D. Green, M.D., Ph.D., has been selected to be the next director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH announced on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2008. NIH Director ? and former NHGRI Director ? Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., announced Dr. Green's appointment at the annual scientific retreat of the Division of Intramural Research, which Dr. Green has led since 2002, marking the first time a former institute director has selected his successor.
Read the press release at http://www.genome.gov/
genetic testing of adolescents (11/17/09)
An ISONG member, Lynn Rew, and her colleagues recently published an interesting systematic review: Rew, L., Mackert, M., & Bonevac, D. (2009). A systematic review of literature about the genetic testing of adolescents. Journal of Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 14, 284-294.
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