Professor Ranjit Manchanda (Professor of Gynaecological Oncology and Consultant Gynaecological Oncologist; Co-Lead, Cancer Prevention Unit, QMUL)
A programme to pilot population based BRCA testing in the Jewish population is being developed by The Early Diagnosis Team (EDT) within the National Cancer Programme at NHS England. Through this new programme, NHS funded BRCA testing will be made available to all Jewish adults in England – distinguishing it from the current NHS service where only those who meet family-history based criteria are eligible.
The pilot will involve two main elements:
- clinical delivery – creating the testing pathways (being developed in consultation with a broad -based Expert Advisory Group) required to deliver BRCA testing to the Jewish population with appropriate NHS laboratory, genetic counselling support and oversight.
- an engagement campaign – raising awareness of, and supporting BRCA testing uptake by, the Jewish population.
Delivery of BRCA testing via the pilot is provisionally scheduled to begin in early 2023. The pilot offers a significant opportunity to address a major gap in BRCA testing provision for the ‘at-increased-risk’ Jewish people in the UK. This can identify more people at high risk of cancer who can benefit from early diagnosis and cancer prevention.
The aim of this webinar is to provide an opportunity to learn more about the programme and how we can support/engage with it. The webinar presentation can be accessed here.