Should a Genetic Predisposition To Breast Cancer Be Disclosed to Children?

April 2, 2012 - PRLog -- Contact: Vicki Cohn, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., (914) 740-2100, ext. 2156, vcohn@liebertpub.com

Should a Genetic Predisposition To Breast Cancer Be Disclosed to Children?

New Rochelle, NY—When a mother undergoes genetic testing to determine whether she carries a gene for hereditary breast cancer, the parents must then decide whether and how to share this risk information with their children. Conventional genetic counseling does not help parents with these difficult decisions, according to an article in Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com) The article is available free on the Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers website (http://www.liebertpub.com/gtmb).

“The article serves to remind genetic counselors of the need to fully inform patients of the meaning and significance to their test results,” says Kenneth I. Berns, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, and Director of the University of Florida’s Genetics Institute, College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL.

Authors McKane, Shariff, Tiffani, et al., from Georgetown University Medical Center (Washington, DC), Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York, NY), and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA) surveyed mothers tested for hereditary breast cancer risk genes, and their partners, about their motivations and needs in deciding whether to disclose the results to their children. The article, “Parenting Through Genetic Uncertainty: Themes in the Disclosure of Breast Cancer Risk Information To Children,” (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/gtmb.201...) discusses how parents have unmet needs for making well-informed decisions about family communication and propose that assistance should be offered to parents during genetic counseling.

About the Journal
Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online that reports on all aspects of genetic testing, including molecular and biochemical based tests and varied clinical situations; ethical, legal, social, and economic aspects of genetic testing; and issues concerning effective genetic counseling. Tables of contents and a free sample issue may be viewed online at the Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers website (http://www.liebertpub.com/gtmb).

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About the Company
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Human Gene Therapy and OMICS. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com)