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Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women after skin cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women after lung cancer. Many women with breast cancer have family members with a history of breast cancer, and scientists believe that vulnerability to breast cancer sometimes has a genetic (inherited) component. Mutations (inherited genetic variations) of 2 genes (segments of DNA that are biological units of heredity) appear to account for about 5% of breast cancers diagnosed annually in the United States. The July 28, 2004, issue of JAMA includes an article about using a computer program to help patients make decisions about genetic testing for breast cancer.

BRCA1 and BRCA2

• BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BReast CAncer 1 and 2) are genes that have been discovered to play a role in some breast cancers.
  
• Most women have 2 normal copies of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
  
• . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Effect of a Computer-Based Decision Aid on Knowledge, Perceptions, and Intentions About Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer Susceptibility: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Michael J. Green, Susan K. Peterson, Maria Wagner Baker, Gregory R. Harper, Lois C. Friedman, Wendy S. Rubinstein, and David T. Mauger
JAMA. 2004;292(4):442-452.
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