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

在过去的20年里，研究强调了压力生活事件和痛苦的可能作用，可能由社会支持和个性介导，导致或加速乳腺癌的发展。这种可能性引起了消费者的强烈关注。迄今为止，对这一问题设计良好的前瞻性研究很少。此外，此前没有研究专门针对因家族史而风险增加的女性。在过去的7年里，已经可以识别出2种乳腺癌基因（BRCA1和BRCA2）。这些基因突变的女性携带者有强烈的家族史，估计终生风险在35%到85%之间。凯瑟琳·康宁厄姆家族性乳腺癌研究联盟（KConFab）成立于7年前，旨在协调收集具有乳腺癌显性遗传易感性的澳大利亚家庭的遗传、流行病学和临床数据。由于这一群体的乳腺癌诊出率很高，并且KConFab系统地招募了大量的高风险女性，因此有一个独特的、暂时的机会来进行严格的研究来解决这个问题，并且涉及的人数足够多。这项研究是世界首例，将为这一领域提供迄今为止最好的数据。如果这项研究表明心理社会因素与乳腺癌高危家庭妇女的乳腺癌发展之间存在关系，那么随后确定易受影响的个体并实施适当的干预措施可能对降低这一人群的发病率和死亡率产生真正的影响。此外，研究结果可能对所有女性降低乳腺癌发病率都有启示意义。

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. Over the past 7 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 7 years ago to coordinate the collection of genetic, epidemiological and clinical data in Australian 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.