BRCA test referrals low in minorities: ongoing Bronx study.(Gynecology)

SAN DIEGO -- The number of genetic counseling referrals for BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing among Hispanic and African American women is disproportionately low for the underlying demographics of a catchment area based in the Bronx area of New York, according to a recent study.

The findings underscore the need for community and physician education regarding cancer genetic counseling and testing, Dr. Susan Klugman reported during a poster session at a meeting sponsored by the American College of Medical Genetics.

"Changes to current insurance coverage are crucial to eliminate the current inequities and to ensure the timely provision of appropriate preventive measures," said Dr. Klugman, a clinical fellow in the division of reproductive genetics in the department of obstetrics and gynecology and women's health, Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

"While Ashkenazi Jews have three specific common mutations for BRCA1 and BRCA2, African Americans and Hispanics have several different mutations and variants in the gene. Therefore, testing for mutations in the minority population can be quite costly. Our patients would not and could not incur such a cost," Dr. Klugman added.

As part of an ongoing study, 195 women from a catchment area near Montefiore ...