Dr. Robert Coleman on the Importance of BRCA Testing in Ovarian Cancer

Robert Coleman, MD a professor in the department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the importance of BRCA testing for patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

In the past, the focus was on whether or not a patient was a germline carrier, and if they were, what that implication would be for their offspring, said Coleman.

In the recent years, with the development of PARP inhibitors, there is a much better understanding about how DNA repair happens. There is a whole homologous recombination deficiency area that's really exploded, said Coleman. That has furthered the use of novel drugs, like olaparib, which has already been approved in the BRCA mutation population.

It has now been determined that in the lower risk groups, the majority of patients that would be BRCA positive were not identified. Because of those factors, BRCA testing is now recommend at diagnosis.