Category Archives: In the News

MSK Publications Added to Synapse in March 2018

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Take a look at these MSK-authored articles, recently published and picked up by over 60 news outlets thus far:

To read the news stories, click on the Altmetric donut from the links above and go to “News.” For more information about Altmetric’s news sources, see Sources of Attention: Mainstream Media Outlets. Altmetric’s newstracker pulls in content from all of the news outlets they track, looking for links to scholarly papers.

See all MSK publications added to Synapse in March 2018.

Do You Know That 23andMe Now Tests for BRCA Breast Cancer Genes?

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In an FDA-backed move, the genetic test kit, 23andMe, will be able to notify its customers of any possible mutations in the breast cancer genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2. According to 23andMe, it is the “first-ever FDA authorization for a direct-to-consumer genetic test for cancer risk.”

Previously, the genetic testing company was only able to test for Bloom syndrome, and to offer risk reports for some conditions like Alzheimer’s, Celiac Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease.

23andMe does include information on its limited ability – to detect only three variants of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes out of more than a thousand that are known to increase cancer risk. Therefore, 23andMe urges users who do test positive to contact a medical professional for retesting in an actual clinical laboratory. The company is now the only one able to generate genetic health risk reports for consumers without a prescription or doctor’s note.

Promising Lymph Node Transplants

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After battling breast cancer, many women find themselves fighting once again, this time against the treatment side effect, lymphedema. Cancer patients who have multiple lymph nodes removed, as many breast cancer patients do, have a likelihood of approximately 20% of developing lymphedema. One promising treatment is lymph node transplants, a technology that has increased in success in recent years. Dr. Joseph Dayan, a reconstructive surgeon at MSK, has successfully transplanted lymph nodes from unaffected parts of patients bodies, providing substantial relief from the symptoms of lymphedema. It is not a cure however, but the earlier it is treated the better the outcome.