Discoveries
Emphasize how patients can reduce cancer risk, study urges
Karen Emmons, Ph.D (left) and Judy Garber, M.D., M.P.H.
A recent study by Dana-Farber researchers contains some useful advice for staff at genetictesting centers: In addition to informing women whether they are at risk for inherited forms of breast and ovarian cancer, let them know there is much they can do to protect themselves from other kinds of cancer.
The advice is based on a survey of 119 women who had signed up to be tested for genetic mutations associated with breast and ovarian cancer. The survey found that eight percent of the women were current smokers, 27 percent did not engage in regular exercise, 46 percent did not regularly protect themselves from sun exposure, 39 percent did not eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and nine percent drank at least one alcoholic beverage a day — practices that can increase the risk for certain types of cancers.
"According to most estimates, 5 to 10 percent of all cancers are caused by inherited mutations, whereas 70 to 80 percent are linked to behavioral factors."
— Karen Emmons, Ph.D.
While these statistics were generally better than those of the population as a whole, they still leave much room for improvement, note study authors Judy Garber, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Friends of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Risk and Prevention Clinic, and Karen Emmons, Ph.D., of Population Sciences.
"According to most estimates, 5 percent to 10 percent of all cancers are caused by inherited mutations, whereas 70 percent to 80 percent are linked to behavioral factors," Emmons remarks. "While testing for inherited mutations is important for patients with strong family histories of cancer, doctors should not lose sight of the many practical steps that people can take to lower their odds of getting cancer."
Study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, Jan. 19, 2000
