BREAST CANCER:

1. BREAST CANCER: TO TEST OR NOT TO TEST?

2. What’s Current? On the surface, Breast Cancer testing on a genetic level, may seem highly advantageous. To know one's status and possible level of predisposition, is a basic right; both for women as well as men. However its benefits are highly subject to opinion in both professional and personal settings.   Myriad, a leading company in breast cancer drugs and research, pioneers heavily for this cause. One of their television ads portrait a distressed women, "Breast cancer runs in my family. BRACAnalysis is a blood test that's helped thousands find out their risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. I realized I could choose to find ways to help reduce my risk now." Other professionals in the field are skeptical and believe that the situation is more complexed. Judy Garber, a genetics specialist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, believes that not all persons should have genetic testing done and if so must be done with a qualified health professional throughout the entire process. She concedes, "There are tremendous implications.“

3. The “Big” Test