Back to Search
Start Over
Ashkenazi Jews and breast cancer: the consequences of linking ethnic identity to genetic disease.
- Source :
-
American journal of public health [Am J Public Health] 2006 Nov; Vol. 96 (11), pp. 1979-88. Date of Electronic Publication: 2006 Oct 03. - Publication Year :
- 2006
-
Abstract
- We explored the advantages and disadvantages of using ethnic categories in genetic research. With the discovery that certain breast cancer gene mutations appeared to be more prevalent in Ashkenazi Jews, breast cancer researchers moved their focus from high-risk families to ethnicity. The concept of Ashkenazi Jews as genetically unique, a legacy of Tay-Sachs disease research and a particular reading of history, shaped this new approach even as methodological imprecision and new genetic and historical research challenged it. Our findings cast doubt on the accuracy and desirability of linking ethnic groups to genetic disease. Such linkages exaggerate genetic differences among ethnic groups and lead to unequal access to testing and therapy.
- Subjects :
- Female
Founder Effect
Genes, BRCA1
Genes, BRCA2
Genetic Testing
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Jews classification
Judaism
Mutation
Research Personnel
Tay-Sachs Disease ethnology
Tay-Sachs Disease genetics
Breast Neoplasms ethnology
Breast Neoplasms genetics
Genetic Predisposition to Disease ethnology
Genetic Research
Genetics, Population
Jews genetics
Social Identification
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1541-0048
- Volume :
- 96
- Issue :
- 11
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- American journal of public health
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 17018815
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2005.083014