Experts say several intersecting factors could be fueling this
trend. Access to genetic screening Since testing became
available in 1996, nearly 1 million people have been screened
for BRCA1 and BRCA2, the genetic mutations associated with
increasing a woman's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer
as much as 87 percent, according to Myriad Genetics, the
diagnostic company that helped isolate the two genes and later
developed a test to detect them. For women who test positive,
removing both breasts is seen as a viable, cancer-preventing
option -- especially in the United States. In a global study
conducted by Dr. Steven Narod, senior scientist at Women's
College Research Institute in Toronto, the United States had the
highest rate of prophylactic mastectomy in BRCA1 and BRCA2
mutation carriers. The U.S. rate was 36.3 percent, far outpacing
the number of preventive surgeries performed by the majority of
other countries Narod studied, including France and Canada. One
reason for the spike may be that American