The actress Christina Applegate had a double mastectomy last year after testing positive for the BRCA1breast cancer genePosted on 09/26/2009 11:05:20 AM PDT by BGHater
New guidance for Britain’s 150,000 practising doctors could remove the right to confidentiality from patients with inherited diseases.
When a patient is found to have a gentic disease, such as certain forms of cancer, doctors will be obliged to inform relatives about potential risks to their health, the General Medical Council (GMC) says.
Updated guidance on confidentiality, seen by The Times before publication on Monday, suggests that most patients will readily share information about their health with their children and close relatives.
However, in circumstances where family relationships have broken down, where children have been adopted — or patients refuse consent to disclosure — doctors should still share information with others who might be at risk if they remain ignorant of a potentially life-threatening condition.
Genetics is predicted to become an increasingly important branch of medicine as the underlying causes of more and more diseases are linked to an individual’s family history.
When a patient is found to have a disease caused by an inherited mutation, his or her children, siblings and even parents may also be at risk.
Knowledge of someone’s condition could lead to other family members having mutations or risks diagnosed early, giving them a better chance of prevention or survival.
The actress Christina Applegate had a double mastectomy last year after testing positive for the BRCA1breast cancer gene
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Are you serious that she had that solely as a preventive measure? That seems to be an extreme measure.
Just wait, I’m willing to bet that this will happen here soon.
They’ll be screened out because they are DEFECTIVE and care will be given to those LESS DEFECTIVE. Rationed care takes another nasty turn.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer, and opted for the double mastectomy after testing positive for the mutated gene. Her mother also had breast cancer.
The mutated gene is implicated in other cancers, too:
“In addition to breast cancer, mutations in the BRCA1 gene also increase the risk on ovarian, fallopian tube and prostate cancers. Moreover, precancerous lesions (dysplasia) within the Fallopian tube have been linked to BRCA1 gene mutations. Pathogenic mutations anywhere in a model pathway containing BRCA1 and BRCA2 greatly increase risks for a subset of leukemias and lymphomas.[2]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRCA1
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