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AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Oct 3, 2006
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96/11/1979    most recent
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November 2006, Vol 96, No. 11 | American Journal of Public Health 1979-1988
© 2006 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.083014

FRAMING HEALTH MATTERS

Ashkenazi Jews and Breast Cancer: The Consequences of Linking Ethnic Identity to Genetic Disease

Sherry I. Brandt-Rauf, JD, MPhil, Victoria H. Raveis, PhD, Nathan F. Drummond, BA, Jill A. Conte, BA and Sheila M. Rothman, PhD

Sherry I. Brandt-Rauf, Nathan F. Drummond, Jill A. Conte, and Sheila M. Rothman are with the Center for the Study of Society and Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY. Victoria H. Raveis is with the Center for the Psychosocial Study of Health and Illness, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Sheila M. Rothman is also with the Mailman School of Public Health.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Sheila M. Rothman, PhD, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, 630 West 168th St, P&S Box 11, New York, NY 10032 (e-mail: smr4{at}columbia.edu).

We explored the advantages and disadvantages of using ethnic categories in genetic research. With the discovery that certain breast cancer gene mutations appeared to be more prevalent in Ashkenazi Jews, breast cancer researchers moved their focus from high-risk families to ethnicity. The concept of Ashkenazi Jews as genetically unique, a legacy of Tay–Sachs disease research and a particular reading of history, shaped this new approach even as methodological imprecision and new genetic and historical research challenged it.

Our findings cast doubt on the accuracy and desirability of linking ethnic groups to genetic disease. Such linkages exaggerate genetic differences among ethnic groups and lead to unequal access to testing and therapy.






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