The oncologist explained the importance of conducting a genetic test to detect cancer

Genetic testing for the diagnosis of hereditary forms of cancer affects treatment tactics, while attempts to treat it independently without a doctor are dangerous. On February 13, Dmitry Olkin, an oncologist, chemotherapist, head of the oncology department, and an expert at the Oncologica Charitable Foundation, told Izvestia.

According to the expert, hereditary cancer is based on an innate mutation in one of the genes responsible for controlling cell division and DNA repair.

"It is fundamentally important to understand that the presence of a hereditary mutation is not a diagnosis or a verdict. This is an increased risk factor, and not an absolute guarantee that cancer will develop," the doctor emphasized.

As Olkin noted, clinical signs help to suspect a hereditary cancer syndrome: the development of cancer at a relatively young age, several cases of the same or related types of tumors in the family, as well as the presence of several primary tumors in one person at once.

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"Breast cancer in men, triple negative cancer in young women, and characteristic combinations of intestinal and endometrial tumors in relatives are of particular concern. In such situations, genetic testing is really justified," Olkin said.

At the same time, as the doctor emphasizes, genetic testing should not be a universal screening "for everyone."

"Analysis always begins with a consultation. The doctor evaluates the family history, the age of onset of the disease, the type of tumor, and the results of histology. Only after that it becomes clear which test is needed — a point test or an extended one," the expert noted.

In patients with an already established cancer diagnosis, the results of genetic analysis directly affect treatment tactics. For example, with mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, the tumor may be more sensitive to certain drugs, and with Lynch syndrome, approaches to monitoring and prevention of secondary tumors are changing, the specialist added.

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"In oncology, it is not the fact of the mutation itself that is important, but the clinical context. The same result in different patients sometimes leads to different decisions. Attempts to interpret the analysis without a doctor and without taking into account the whole picture of the disease are dangerous," Olkin concluded.

Working with patients' relatives requires special attention. According to Olkin, testing of healthy family members should be targeted and necessarily be accompanied by a consultation before and after the analysis with a discussion of medical and psychological consequences.

Svetlana Varfolomeeva, director of the Research Institute of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology at the N.N. Blokhin National Research Medical Center of Oncology, said on February 2 that the survival rate for childhood oncological diseases in Russia as a whole exceeds 85%, and in some forms of cancer it reaches 98%. She added that in recent years, treatment technologies have become much more accessible: for example, total body irradiation before bone marrow transplantation has become a routine procedure for most patients.

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