Coumadin and Cancer!

There are two things I would like to post today. There have been a lot of posts regarding the new findings in FGFR2 and risk for breast cancer. I said yesterday that the population attributable risk was less than family history. This is correct if you are talking about pre-menopausal breast cancer.


I have taken some time to review the article with a fine tooth comb and here are my summary hot points.

1. The study only analyzed post-menopausal, non first degree relative, "sporadic" breast cancer. Thus these findings may not apply to you if you have a first degree relative with breast cancer.
2. The risk for having cancer is increased even if you are wildtype ("normal") for this FGFR2 gene. Therefore the O.R. of 1.64 should be compared with 1.20 for the wildtype Odds Ratio.
3. The authors note that in a pre-menopausal population these findings were NOT associated with increased risk

Second Item. At the American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans an announcement was made that there is a 1-hour rapid genotype analysis for coumadin metabolism genes VKORC1 and CYP 2C9. Interestingly enough a physician Dr Jeffrey Anderson found that 72% of his patients on coumadin had a variation affecting metabolism of this blood thinner.

The Gene Sherpa Says: You must always use a guide to identify whether a test is useful or a study is useful. Unless you are already a Sherpa. This breast cancer finding in a subsegment does not represent all breast cancers! And We are well on the way to personalized medicine if we can genotype in less than an hour! Coumadin is a dangerous medication that can cause severe bleeding. I am certain that this point of care testing will find its way into the primary care physicians office. Now who's going to do the counseling??????