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Black women with Triple Negative Breast Cancer have less frequent genetic testing compared with White women

Black women diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) were more frequently unable to receive or declined genetic testing for BRCA mutations compared with White women, according to a survey of 577 patients aged 60 or younger in four hospital systems from 2015 through 2020.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network now recommends this testing for all TNBC patients regardless of age or family history. In the study, 83 percent of White women vs 73 percent of the Black women received the tests.

Testing for BRCA mutations is important for TNBC patients because the results can affect the cancer-risk management of their relatives,

The results of the study were presented at the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

See “Lower Uptake of BRCA Testing” by Christina Bennett on the OBR Oncology website (December 12, 2021)

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