• Price︰HK$4,800/ person ❌ No Fasting is required
• Test includes︰BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, PALB2, BRIP1, TP53, PTEN, STK11, CDH1, ATM, BARD1, MLH1, MRE11A, MSH2, MSH6, MUTYH, NBN, PMS1, PMS2, RAD50, RAD51C, RAD51D, NF1, EPCAM, SMARCA4, CDK12
• Report time: 4 to 5 weeks
• Sample: Blood
• Report explanation will be explained by GP or medical staff.
• Procedure duration: Registration → Pre-test consultation and consent form →Blood draw → Total time approximately 30-45 mins

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Who should take this test?

• A personal history of cancer diagnosed before age 50
• A relative with a known BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation
• One or more relatives with a history of cancer, especially breast, ovarian, prostate, or pancreatic cancer
• Family history of hereditary disease
• The person taking the test should be aged 5 or above, and persons under 18 should be accompanied by a parent / legal guardian

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What is this test for?

The BRCA gene test is a blood test for determining if you have BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations in your DNA that will increase the risk of breast, ovarian, prostate, and other related cancers.

What is hereditary cancer?

Lifestyle risk factors play a major role in causing cancer, such as smoking, excessive alcohol use, eating red and processed meats, unsafe sex, obesity, physical inactivity, exposure to radioactive materials and chemicals, etc. Aside from these preventable causes, researchers have found that about 5 to 10% of cancers are hereditary and have associated mutations in specific genes with more than 50 hereditary cancer syndromes, which may predispose individuals to develop certain cancers. Common hereditary cancer syndromes include breast and ovarian cancers, Lynch syndrome (colon cancer), Li-Fraumeni syndrome, Cowden syndrome, etc.

What are BRCA 1 and BRCA 2?

BRCA is an abbreviation for the BReast CAncer gene, every individual has two copies of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, one copy inherited from each parent. Though BRCA 1 & 2 might sound terrifying, BRCA genes actually are tumour suppressor genes. In fact, BRCA genes help repair DNA breaks that lead to cancer and tumours. However, when a BRCA gene is mutated, they may no longer be able to perform their job, hence the risks of developing cancer increases. Research shows a sibling or parent of a person who carries a BRCA mutation is likely to have a 50% chance of inheriting the same mutation.

Cancer risks for women with BRCA mutations:

• The risk of developing breast cancer in a lifetime is 45% to 75%
• Lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer for BRCA1 gene mutation is 25% to 40%, whereas for BRCA2 gene mutation is 10% to 20%.
• A recent study shows BRCA mutation also increases colorectal cancer by fivefold for women.

Cancer risks for men with BRCA mutations:

• Lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 1% to 6% (at least 10-times increase over the general population).
• Lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer is around 20%.

Individuals with mutations in the BRCA2 gene may be at an increased risk of other types of cancer, including melanoma and pancreatic, stomach, esophageal, and bile duct cancers.

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Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Hong Kong (especially aged 20 to 44) and worldwide, meanwhile ranking third in terms of female cancer death rates. According to the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, there were 4,761 new cases and 852 deaths in 2019 alone. World Health Organisation research shows that over 680,000 women died of breast cancer in 2020.

These are some of the symptoms for breast cancer:

• Nipple discharge other than breast milk, sometimes blood
• Pain in the breast
• Lump in the breast or armpit
• Redness, flaky skin or thickening in the nipple area
• Swollen breast
• Change in size or shape of breast
• Inverted or retracted nipple

Ovarian Cancer

Ovary & peritoneum cancer is the 6^th most common female cancer in HK (ranking third in age group 20 to 44), leading to 732 new cases and 261 deaths in 2019. Globally speaking, Ovarian cancer is the 8^th most fatal cancer for women and killed over 200,000 people in 2020.

These are some of the symptoms of ovarian cancer:

• Back pain
• Fatigue
• Abdominal bloating
• Discomfort in pelvic area
• Nausea
• Change in bowel symptoms, such as constipation, diarrhea
• Feeling full quickly

Unfortunately, ovarian cancer is hard to detect at early stages because symptoms are usually nonexistent or nonspecific. Therefore, regular screening such as blood test (CA125) and imaging tests are crucial.

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the third most common cancer for men in HK, meanwhile ranking as the 4^th most fatal cancer for men. There were 2,532 new cases and 445 deaths in 2019, mostly from the 45 to 64 age group. Prostate cancer ranks 5^th in mortality rate for cancers for men in the world, over 370,000 people died in 2020.

Common symptoms for prostate cancer:

• Pain or burning sensation during peeing
• Difficulty to urinate
• Trouble emptying bladder
• Blood in urine or semen
• Consistent pain in back, hips or pelvis
• Painful ejaculation

References:

• ASCO
• WHO
• NIH
• Hong Kong Cancer Fund
• Hospital Authority

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Booking Procedure

For more details on the program, please click check-up items.