Majority of Doctors Ignore Cancer Genetic Testing Guidelines
According to an article published in Health Day, 59% of doctors fail to order cancer genetic testing in patients who are at average or high risk for ovarian and breast cancer.
“Despite the existence of evidence-based guidelines on referral for genetic counseling and testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, many physicians report practices contrary to these recommendations,” Katrina Trivers, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a journal news release.
The genetic testing guidelines are intended to serve women who are at significant risk of developing these types of cancer through early detection and prevention. Only 41% of those doctors surveyed said they would refer high-risk women for such testing while an appallingly low 29% said they refer women who present an average risk of breast or ovarian cancer.
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