Dr. Borgen on the Decision to be Tested for a BRCA Gene

Patrick Borgen, MD, chair, Department of Surgery, director, Maimonides Breast Cancer Center, discusses a patient's decision to be tested for a BRCA gene.

Borgen says that testing for a BRCA gene can have profound impact on individuals and families and that the decision to be tested should remain up to the patient.

While few women regret having a prophylactic or risk-reducing mastectomy, some do. These women who regret the procedure, Borgen says, are often those who are talked into it by their physician. The physician's job is to inform a patient about the costs and benefits of the procedure and let them make the decision.