Would You Want To Know If You’re High Risk For Cancer?
Posted by: Daniela Guernica
Filed in:
news
8:20AM, Tuesday July 21st 2009
We know we’re supposed to head to the lady doctor once a year for a gyno and breast exam to catch any signs of cancer early. But these days, women can even go one step further—they can get genetic testing. Women who get tested for BRCA gene mutations will know if they are 60% more likely to develop breast and/or ovarian cancer over the course of their lives. It’s a great step in cancer prediction and prevention, but for women who test positive it also presents serious issues and some heavy decision-making. [CNN]
Breast and ovarian cancer affect about 5% of women under age 40, and genetic testing can help a high-risk woman prepare well before the disease hits. After she tested positive for BRCA gene mutations, 26-year-old Lindsay Avner created the Bright Pink organization for women in the same boat. The organization educates young women about methods of preventative health. The most extreme: prophylactic double mastectomy. In other words, removing as much of the at-risk breast tissue as possible. Lindsay had this surgery at age 23 and while she hopes it will keep her from getting cancer, it is possible it will still develop. And if deflating your chest isn’t enough to think about, women considering the test and its results fear higher health insurance fees or even getting dropped by their insurance provider. Some women even factor cancer into their budgets, passing up on a cute pair of pumps to save for possible chemo treatments.
Testing positive for the gene means a woman is more likely to get cancer, but it’s not a done deal. Knowing you are 60% likely to get cancer could save your life, but would you get a mastectomy or even a hysterectomy if you tested positive for the gene?
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sadie
wrote on July 21 2009 @ 08:35 am: [report]
There is way too much of a problem with the potential for people to use this against women. Imagine employers getting this information and trying to avoid hiring people who might get sick. Insurance companies would line up to gather this information so they can boot customers and charge higher premiums. Those issues alone would prevent me from wanting to get this kind of test.
brandyalexander
wrote on July 21 2009 @ 09:09 am: [report]
I am conflicted about this, and I am going to a genetic counselor next week to discuss the possibiity of getting this testing done. MY mother and my paternal grandfather both had breast cancer; it killed my mom. It might be important for me to know if I have a genetic predisposition for the disease, however, I am not sure what I would do with that knowledge, and do not like the idea of what could happen if it got into the wrong person’s hands.
AgentBeryllium
wrote on July 21 2009 @ 09:13 am: [report]
This sounds like borrowing trouble. Then on top of that having a double mastectomy does not guarantee that you won’t get cancer. It’s like using too many antibiotics then you wipe out your immune system.
I wouldn’t do this test. I would just live my life and if it happens then I will fight it.
gloriafretz
wrote on July 21 2009 @ 09:17 am: [report]
I would not get this test. If I tested positive for the gene, then I would spend my life worrying about it and not living. I would rather live my life, enjoy myself, continue my routine screenings and then kick cancer’s butt if I have to in the future.
retro chic
wrote on July 21 2009 @ 09:26 am: [report]
As a member of a large family where cancer deaths are prevalent and was 20 again… yes. Four aunts in a row from breast cancer, others from cervical, ovarian. Genetic testing is more info for prevention and possibly a cure. I’m not that concerned about insurance co’s. For those that are, self-pay. Medical confidentiality protects you, and records are not shared. A stage 4 cancer patient will tell you fears of impending death trump fears of Big Brother anytime.
Note: the gene indicates a 60-*80*% chance.
Btw, let’s hope the ACLU defeats the *patent* on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 (breast cancer) genes in the suit against Myriad Genetics and the U of URF.
DancerNinja
wrote on July 21 2009 @ 10:15 am: [report]
I a former cancer researcher, hell yes I’d get this test. I might ask for it at my next lady-doc visit, depending on price. There is so much you can do for prevention, other than boobage removal, and I’d want to know ASAP to start with the prophylactic measures. In this case, I don’t think ignorance is bliss. (But really, is it ever?)
caroline.roberts
wrote on July 21 2009 @ 10:26 am: [report]
If health care reform can spank insurers who punish people for having pre-existing conditions, then it might not be a problem in the future. One can only hope.
Plus, knowing that you have the breast cancer genes doesn’t mean you have to remove your breasts. It wouldn’t be an all or nothing proposition, right? Instead, if the insurance allows it, you can get more frequent screenings (say, every six months instead of every year) to catch problems early.
yasminzar
wrote on July 21 2009 @ 02:28 pm: [report]
I know someone who just got tested and found out that yes, she has the gene (her paternal grandmother & 2 aunts died from breast cancer). She is 19 years old, and was basically told that if she doesn’t have the double mastectomy/hysterectomy, she will have an 80% chance of getting cancel. If she has the removals, the risk drops to 1%. I don’t know what she’s going to do about it, but it absolutely breaks my heart that a 19 year old girl is going to have to make such a life-changing decision.
Coral
wrote on July 21 2009 @ 03:47 pm: [report]
Even though I have not been tested for a cancer gene, I am 18 years old and I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) when I was 15. Unlike some women with PCOS, I actually have multiple cysts on my ovaries and the follicles (which can be seen in an ultrasound). PCOS happens in about 5% of pre-menopausal women. But my case is more serious than most. And with the drugs that are typically used to treat PCOS, there have been studies proving/disproving their increased risk for breast/ovarian cancer (as they are the same synthetic drugs used for hormone therapy for menopausal women). And PCOS in general increases the risk for ovarian, uterine, and even breast cancer. Ovarian cancer is a fairly ‘silent’ cancer and it can be quite deadly. Either way, whether I have the cancer gene or not, I have been seriously considering a hysterectomy to relieve my unbearable symptoms.
Rosa
wrote on July 21 2009 @ 04:32 pm: [report]
I recently got tested for this gene. My mother died of cancer at 39, and her mother had breast cancer in her 50s but went into remission. I was lucky to not be a carrier of the gene, but that does not mean I am not at risk. I think this testing should be optional for people, but because 1 in 8 women will get cancer in the US anyway, we should all be proactive about our health and get yearly mammograms!
plasticrose
wrote on July 21 2009 @ 05:22 pm: [report]
Women who test positive for an abnormal BRCA1 gene actually have an 80-85% chance of developing breast cancer. I have no family history of breast cancer, so I don’t need to be tested, but if I had a mother or sister with breast cancer, I would have the test. If I did have the faulty gene I would have a double mastectomy. Yes, it would be devastating. But its actually a fairly straightforward operation, and these days the reconstruction is done at the same time as the mastectomy. Compared to the prospect of being diagnosed with breast cancer, it doesn’t sound so bad to me. Compared to having chemotherapy, it sounds like a breeze. But that’s me.
goodbyetoboobs
wrote on July 22 2009 @ 09:28 am: [report]
Knowledge is power! I learned that I carry the mutated BRCA2 gene this spring and am planning to have a double mastectomy this December. This is a very personal decision—both to have the test and to opt for surgery—but for me, it was the right choice. Given my odds—87% chance of breast cancer in my lifetime—preventative surgery is a no brainer. Close surveillance didn’t seem like a fair option: test and screen and what? Still get breast cancer in the end? No thank you. And it’s not so scary, really. There are a lot of women like me out there, taking control of their genetic fate. For anyone with a family history of breast and ovarian cancer, please check out the fabulous support organizations for women facing hereditary cancer: Bright Pink (bebrightpink.org) and FORCE (facingourrisk.org). And please visit my blog about life as a previvor at goodbyetoboobs.blogspot.com
Todd_P
wrote on August 11 2009 @ 05:08 am: [report]
Health care reform should be realized! It is the time that the government begin to make sure that every people’s necessities are well taken cared of. Health care is a huge national concern. There’s a lot of talk about health care reform, and the industry does need it, especially since so many people that are only after the most basic of care have to get emergency cash loans to cover something as simple as a simple antibiotics script, and a full third of the nation is without health insurance. The lead researcher for the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, Elliot Fisher, a practitioner for over 20 years, has pointed out that areas that spend more on health care interestingly spend more on unnecessary procedures, and have higher mortality rates. So why do we need payday cash advances for health care that is worse when more expensive?