BRCA1 AND BRCA2 MUTATIONS

Course overview

BREAST CANCER GENES BRCA1 AND BRCA2 ARE TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENES WHOSE MUTATIONS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF DEVELOPING PARTICULAR TYPES OF EPITHELIAL MALIGNANCIES, NAMELY BREAST AND OVARIAN CANCER. THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH A BRCA1 AND BRCA2 GENE MUTATIONS IS INDIVIDUALIZED AND CAN INCLUDE INCREASED SURVEILLANCE, CHEMOPREVENTION USING TAMOXIFEN, A BILATERAL PROPHYLACTIC OOPHORECTOMY, AND/OR BILATERAL PROPHYLACTIC MASTECTOMY. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE ETIOLOGY, EPIDEMIOLOGY, PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, SCREENING, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF BRCA 1 AND 2 MUTATIONS AND SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EDUCATING PATIENTS ABOUT THE RISK OF CANCER AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR SUCH PATIENTS.