How many surrendered body parts does it take to truly cheat cancer by BRCA mutation? 4 and counting….
A majority of women who test positive for a BRCA mutation view prophylactic mastectomy as the most effective strategy for reducing breast cancer risk. Take out the ovaries too and we BRCA carriers reduce our risk of ovarian cancer from as high as 40 percent to something much closer to the general population average of 1.4 percent. Ten years ago, when genetic testing for BRCA mutations was a relatively new option, the decision I faced seemed pretty cut and dry. Keep the breasts and ovaries and very likely develop breast and/or ovarian cancer, or surrender some body parts and live a cancer-free life. If only genetic mutations were so simple. Since making that decision, science has had a lot more to say, mostly in the form of questions. (more…)
A majority of women who test positive for a BRCA mutation view prophylactic mastectomy as the most effective strategy for reducing breast cancer risk. Take out the ovaries too and we BRCA carriers reduce our risk of ovarian cancer from as high as 40 percent to something much closer to the general population average of 1.4 percent. Ten years ago, when genetic testing for BRCA mutations was a relatively new option, the decision I faced seemed pretty cut and dry. Keep the breasts and ovaries and very likely develop breast and/or ovarian cancer, or surrender some body parts and live a cancer-free life. If only genetic mutations were so simple. Since making that decision, science has had a lot more to say, mostly in the form of questions. (more…)