Screening poses many difficult questions.

A genetic test for hereditary breast cancer can reveal the mutation of a key gene which indicates an 80% chance that a woman will develop breast cancer some time in her life. The question is: Should women take the test?

Genetic screening may develop into one of the most controversial issues of the 21st century "This is one of the first and most important ethical, legal, and moral cases arising from the Human Genome Project," explains Courtney Campbell, director of the Program for Ethics, Science, and the Environment, Oregon State University, Corvallis. "Genetic research is providing a lot of new information. Now the question is, what to do with it."

Women with a family history of breast cancer may have their DNA tested to see if chromosome 17 -- also know as the BRCA1 gene -- has a telltale mutation, indicating an individual has a four-out-of-five chance of getting breast cancer at some time during her life. The test does not say whether individuals will get breast cancer, Campbell points out -- only that they are in the "80% category."

Many women say they won't take the test because positive results would "alter their life plans." With no current symptoms and no potential therapy it symptoms develop, they feel knowing the results would be more harmful than useful. Others are taking the test and initiating a series of proactive measures, from changes in diet to more regular checkups to preventive double mastectomies.

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