One of the coolest things about science is the endless number of questions that can be asked about something, and the resulting pursuit of answers.

When doctors and scientists saw that women in certain families were diagnosed with breast cancer far more often than they’d expect, they looked into whether cancer risk could be inherited. Those questions eventually led to the discovery of two genes in the 1990s — BRCA1 and BRCA2 — that changed how the medical world looks at cancer risk. Inherited mutations in these genes can dramatically increase the chances of developing breast and ovarian cancers.

Dr. Weitzel's multidisciplinary clinical and research program emphasizes the recognition and assessment of people at increased risk for developing cancer because of family cancer history or personal risk factor.

As Hispanics continue their population surge across the U.S., it becomes more and more evident how underserved the community is – whether in business, politics or the media. However, being underserved by the healthcare industry carries higher, often deadly, stakes. For Latinas in particular, there’s one area where we can and should be doing a whole lot more understanding and outreach. 

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Hispanic women and the leading cause of cancer death. Although there is less incidence of breast cancer in Hispanics than in non-Hispanic whites, our initial studies on the prevalence of deleterious BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations suggest there may be a higher proportion of breast cancer in Hispanics – the fastest growing group in the United States, already comprising 15.1% of the population. 

By Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Dr. Jeffery Weitzel is Division Chief of Clinical Cancer Genetics at City of Hope in California as well as a Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) grantee since 2013. At City of Hope, Dr. Weitzel leads a clinical, research and training program that emphasizes translational research in genomic cancer risk assessment, chemoprevention, targeted therapy, clinical and psychosocial outcomes, genetic epidemiology and health services in underserved minorities. For over a decade, he has been interested in hereditary cancer in Latin America with the aim of increasing awareness of inherited risk and access to screening and prevention. As part of its partnership with Healthy Hispanic Living, BCRF recently spoke with Dr. Weitzel about his work in the Latina community, both in the U.S. and Latin America, and asked for his insight on new discoveries that are helping us to understand the role of genetics in breast cancer risk for Hispanic women.

Hispanic women typically have fewer incidences of breast cancer when compared to non-Hispanic white women; however, when they are diagnosed with breast cancer, it is usually an aggressive form or in the advanced stages of disease. Now, researchers have found a link among Hispanic and non-Hispanic black women when it comes to breast cancer and obesity.