Download the latest Cutting Edge Newsletter, clinical updates for claims and medical management professionals. This month's highlighted topic is how to manage cost and reduce patient harm with consistent BRCA testing. Below you will find an exert from this article:

Manage Costs and Reduce Patient Harm With Consistent BRCA Testing

Adhering to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines regarding the testing of BRCA mutations can reduce cancer risk and improve survival rates. In addition, payer organizations can better regulate the costs of these expensive genetic tests.

All cancers develop because of a mutation in a gene or multiple genes. However, most of these mutations are acquired during life and are not inherited from a parent. A few gene mutations associated with the development of certain cancers are actually inherited and are considered true hereditary cancers.

Inherited cancer-related mutations in two related genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, can lead to a decrease in the ability to repair DNA damage and thereby can allow the development of cancer in many different sites. (Fill out the form to continue reading)