University research reveals concerns about breast removal surgery

[OvaHere]

It would appear that some surges in demand are still allowed to be researched by universities.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/8dcbfa34-531b-11ee-abb5-ce4135341f1b?shareToken=4e057c6547fc87a55f59ab24832636e3

Excerpt

Women are having unnecessary breast-removal surgery after paying for private DNA tests to see if they are at high risk of cancer, scientists have warned.
There has been a surge in demand for genetic testing which can identify if women carry a faulty version of the BRCA genes, often referred to as the “Jolie gene”.
About one in 400 people carry a disease-causing BRCA mutation, which significantly increases the risk of cancer and is the underlying cause of 5-10 per cent of all breast cancer cases.
Those with a positive result can opt to have a mastectomy to remove all breast tissue as a preventative measure, as the actress Angelina Jolie did in 2013.
However, new research by the University of Exeter has suggested that this boom in private testing is leading to unnecessary panic. Experts said women with faulty BRCA genes should only consider risk-reducing surgery if they also have a family history of breast cancer, rather than making the decision “on genetics alone”.

Hmm I wonder how many of the 454000 people whose DNA and medical records they checked for this survey were females vs males and what difference it would have to the results if they were all female

I wonder how many of these ‘experts’ who think women are ‘panicking’ are male?
If a woman decides to be proactive and have a test then a mastectomy as a result then it’s totally her choice. Not a moral panic!

Who calls it the 'Jolie gene'? I've never heard that.

If surgeons are giving major surgery to women they think are 'panicking' perhaps their consent procedure needs looking at.

But good research- should encourage women with the gene.

I'll be honest, I have fibrous tissue and a family history of BC, along with a few things that have elevated my risk, and have to get the whole rigamorl of testing done once a year at a cancer center. There was a time when I had deep dysphoria when the only thing keeping me from getting a mastectomy was fear of losing my nipples like my friends did during their cosmetic procedures. But now that I might end up going for it in the next 20 or so years out of fear of cancer, it's very sad.

My dr was good, she explained that the genetic testing wasn't something to immediately panic and have to act over, just a tool to help decide how often a woman should have her breasts examined. But on the other side of the argument, if I had the marker, I'd feel like an "elevated risk" was synonymous with "ticking time bomb" and it would always be on my mind with every period leaving me sore and swollen.

And as an American, even one with public medical assistance, I'd be worried it would effect stuff like life insurance.

Really wish medical ethics committees would publish information about this more often bc as an uneducated ape person fat fingering words, it would be nice to hear what actual doctors had to say about it as a whole.

Full paper although not the final reviewed version: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/medrxiv/early/2022/07/09/2022.07.08.22277415.full.pdf

Who calls it the 'Jolie gene'? I've never heard that.

Probably just The Times as that's the most famous associated woman they can think of.

The researcher has the DNA of each person and can (and will) check their sex (via their chromosomes, XX vs XY). This is a routine check for quality control when analysing DNA samples in this way.

I don’t know what the genetics of male breast cancer are but I could look it up I suppose.

From the pre-print posted earlier:

Exome sequencing data were available on 454,712 individuals (219,134 women)

Re: I don’t know what the genetics of male breast cancer are but I could look it up I suppose.

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/worried-about-cancer/causes-and-risk-factors/brca1-and-cancer-risks-for-men

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/worried-about-cancer/causes-and-risk-factors/brca2-and-cancer-risks-for-men

One thing I wasn't aware of for the girls who are getting mastectomies due to trans identities is that potentially if they did have breast cancer due to some remaining tissue later on, it could be harder to treat with radiation - I have no idea if this is a recognised issue or not; just based on friends' experiences with BC. Lumpectomy is often favoured over mastectomy as they can use radiation more accurately. (I'm hazy on the science.)

In female bodies testosterone is also converted to oestrogen. So it's not as simple as saying they're not getting the hormones. Ironically PBs are sometimes used for that very reason in older adults with hormone related cancers but not without side effects that many say may not have been worth it,