Pakistan has a high prevalence of hereditary breast cancer, according to a study published in BioMed Central’s Hereditary Cancer in Clinical Practice journal.

“If you are a breast cancer patient or if you are healthy but have a family history of breast and other cancers, it is good to discuss with your doctor about the suitability of a genetic test and a referral to a genetics specialist,” recommended Dr Azmina Valimohammed, Consultant Medical Oncologist at AKUH and one of the authors. Conducted by researchers from Aga Khan University, the study is based on data of patients who visited the HBC clinics at AKU over a three-year period and decided to get multi-gene panel testing.

They found that out of all patients who met the criteria for genetic testing, 22% tested positive.

Most breast cancers occur without a known inherited/genetic or preventable cause. Thus, in a majority of cases there is no risk of the cancer being passed on to children.

HBC or genetic breast cancer is less common, but still makes up 10 to 30 percent of all breast cancers.

The study found that patients diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age were more likely to have the inherited form compared to older women and that 25% had no family history, but had other factors that warranted genetic testing. Thus sometimes it is advisable to get testing done even in the absence of a family history.

The study recommended genetic testing for all women aged 45 years or older with breast cancer even without a family history.