BRCA

The out-of-pocket expense of mammograms, MRIs and other tests and treatments can be several thousand dollars each year when you have a high-deductible health policy.

High-Deductible Health Policies Linked To Delayed Diagnosis And Treatment

5:00am April 18, 2019

by Erika Stallings

Her employer offered only a high-deductible health plan; that meant she'd have to pay up to $6,000 out of pocket each year. Advocates for patients say this sort of underinsurance is snatching lives.

Rita Steyn has a family history of cancer so she ordered a home genetic testing kit to see if she carried certain genetic mutations that increase the risk for the disease.

Results Of At-Home Genetic Tests For Health Can Be Hard To Interpret

7:48pm June 18, 2018

by Rob Stein

As home genetic testing continues to boom, more people are getting their DNA tested for health reasons. The tests may signal future disease, but there are many limitations that might falsely reassure.

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Tests for mutations in BRCA genes that increase the risk of ovarian and breast cancer can help guide treatment and prevention.

Women With Breast Cancer Miss Out On Recommended Genetic Testing

12:03pm February 07, 2017

by Jessica Boddy

Most women with breast cancer say they want testing to know if they carry BRCA gene mutations that increase cancer risk, but only around half of women at high risk actually get tested.

Family medical histories are used to figure out whether it is worthwhile for a woman to be tested for BRCA genetic mutations, which increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

Want A BRCA Test? Some Insurers Require Genetic Counseling First

4:58pm September 14, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

Doctors worry that requiring patients to see a separate genetic counselor will keep them from getting tested for mutations that significantly increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

Arnaldo Silva with his daughter Vanessa at StoryCorps.

Health & Safety

For Dad And Daughter Fighting Breast Cancer, Grit Runs In The Family

12:37pm July 29, 2016

by NPR Staff

Arnaldo Silva and his daughter Vanessa supported each other through chemotherapy treatments several years ago. Now, they are facing another fight.

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When Erika Stallings was 22, she found out that she might have a genetic mutation that greatly increased her risk of cancer.

More People Seek Genetic Testing, But There Aren't Enough Counselors

4:03pm April 18, 2016

by Todd Bookman

After Angelina Jolie disclosed her genetic predisposition for breast cancer, demand for genetic tests went up. Counselors help interpret those tests, and demand for their services has increased, too.

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Bad Luck Or Bad Genes? Dealing With BRCA And 'A Cancer In The Family'

1:29pm March 14, 2016

Oncologist Theodora Ross discusses the hereditary nature of cancer and her own predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer, which led her to have a double mastectomy and to have her ovaries removed.

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Surgeon Seeks To Help Women Navigate Breast Cancer Treatment

3:51pm September 22, 2015

Thirty years ago no one uttered the words "breast cancer" in public. Now there's no shortage of information, but the glut can make it hard for women to make choices about care.

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Screening Tests For Breast Cancer Genes Just Got Cheaper

12:21am April 27, 2015

by Rob Stein

A company has priced its test for mutations linked to breast and ovarian cancer at $249 — far less than the thousands of dollars another firm charges. But is there a downside for the worried well?

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Lisa Schlager of Chevy Chase, Md., demonstrates outside of the Supreme Court as arguments were made in a case seeking to determine whether the BRCA breast cancer genes can be patented. The court ruled in 2013 that individual genes can't be patented.

Researcher Urges Wider Genetic Screening For Breast Cancer

12:43pm September 09, 2014

by Rob Stein

Genetic tests are recommended for women with a family history of breast cancer. One researcher says all women should be screened, but others say there's not enough evidence that they are at risk.

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