Psychosocial predictors of developing breast cancer in women from high risk breast cancer families

在过去的20年里，研究强调了应激性生活事件和痛苦可能在导致或加速乳腺癌发展中的作用，这些事件和痛苦可能是由社会支持和个性所调节的。这种可能性引起了消费者的强烈关注。到目前为止，很少有关于这一问题的精心设计的前瞻性研究。此外，此前没有任何研究专门针对风险较高的女性，因为她们的家族史。近年来，已有可能鉴定出2个乳腺癌基因(BRCA1和BRCA2)。这些基因突变的女性携带者有很强的家族史，估计一生的风险在35%到85%之间。凯瑟琳·库宁安家族性乳腺癌研究联盟(KConFab)成立于11年前，目的是协调澳大利亚和新西兰乳腺癌遗传易感性家庭的遗传、流行病学和临床数据的收集。由于这一群体中乳腺癌的诊断率很高，而且kConFab系统地招募了大量高危妇女，因此有一个独特的临时机会来进行一项严格的研究来解决这个问题，涉及的人数足够多。这项研究是世界上第一次，将提供这一领域迄今为止最好的数据。如果这项研究证明了心理社会因素与乳腺癌高危家庭妇女罹患乳腺癌之间的关系，那么随后确定易受伤害的个体并实施适当的干预措施可能会对降低这一人群的发病率和死亡率产生实际影响。此外，这一结果可能会对所有女性降低乳腺癌发病率产生影响。

Over the past 20 years, studies have highlighted the possible roles of stressful life events and distress, possibly mediated by social support and personality, in causing or speeding up the development of breast cancer. This possibility is of strong concern to consumers. To date, there have been few well designed, prospective studies of this issue. Furthermore, no previous studies have specifically targeted women at increased risk because of their family history. In recent years, it has become possible to identify 2 breast cancer genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2). Female carriers of mutations in these genes with a strong family history have an estimated lifetime risk of between 35% and 85%. The Kathleen Cuningham Consortium for Research into Familial Breast Cancer (kConFab) was established 11 years ago to coordinate the collection of genetic, epidemiological and clinical data in Australian and New Zealand families with a dominantly inherited predisposition to breast cancer. Due to the high rate of breast cancer diagnoses in this group, and the systematic recruitment of large numbers of high risk women by kConFab, there is a unique and temporary opportunity to conduct a rigorous study to resolve this question, with sufficient numbers involved. The study is a world first, and will provide the best data to date in this area. If the study demonstrates a relationship between psychosocial factors and the development of breast cancer in women from high risk breast cancer families, subsequent identification of vulnerable individuals and the implementation of appropriate interventions may have a real impact on reducing morbidity and mortality in this population. Furthermore, the results may have implications for all women in reducing breast cancer incidence.