Hereditary Breast and Hereditary Ovarian Cancer: Implications for the Oncology Nurse.

OBJECTIVES: To review heredity cancer syndromes involving the breasts, ovaries, or breast and ovaries. To recommend useful professional and patient resources on cancer genetics. A case study of germline BRCA genetic testing after allogeneic bone marrow transplant is presented.

DATA SOURCES: National guidelines, evidence-based summaries, peer-reviewed studies, editorials, and professional Web sites.

CONCLUSION: Advancing genetic/genomic technology in oncology has led to a renaissance of information about hereditary cancer syndromes.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Nursing competence in genetics/genomics is necessary to provide evidence-based, personalized care for individuals with cancer. Resources are available to help nurses provide quality cancer genetic informed care.