Page 21 - Senior Scene Magazine December 2017

Breast
(like BRACAnalysis test, or BRACA) can identify whether you have a fault in one of these high-risk genes.
Actress Angeline Jolie made headlines around the world in 2013, when she publicly announced about her decision to undergo a double mastectomy after being told she is a carrier of the BRCA1 gene and has a high risk of contracting breast cancer. Her mother died at the age of 56 after battling ovarian cancer.
In the United States, a woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 12%. It can affect anyone. You can get it even if you don’t have a faulty gene. If more than one per- son is a family has breast cancer, this doesn’t mean the faulty genes are present. If you have a faulty gene, it doesn’t mean you will de nitely de- velop breast cancer, but you are at a high risk. Having a fault in one of the breast cancer genes raises the risk of developing breast cancer to between 50% and 85%.
If a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and have a strong family history of breast and/or cancer ovarian cancer, she will usually be offered a blood test to see whether she has a faulty gene. If the test is positive, this means she has a higher risk of devel- oping cancer in her other breast and of developing ovarian cancer.
Senior Scene® | December Issue
Women who don’t have breast cancer can be offered testing if they are at risk of having a faulty gene.
This can include relatives of women with a faulty gene, and women with a strong family history of breast cancer where a living family member with breast or ovarian cancer is available for testing. Women who have a moth- er or sister who has tested positive can opt for a simple genetic test to nd out whether they have got the faulty gene.
If you don’t have a relative who has tested positive for a faulty gene, family history needs to be strong to justify testing. Looking at a family history means looking at the combina- tion of breast and ovarian cancer, and young-onset (younger than 50) breast cancer in the family.
Because a woman with a faulty gene has a high lifetime risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer, she has op- tions. Depending on her age and es- timated risk, she will be offered mam- mograms or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans, or both. She can still follow general health advice, too. Women can reduce their risk by not putting on weight, by eating a good diet and by taking regular exercise.
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Cancer
Genes
Dr. Arvind M. Dhople, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Florida Tech
Most doctors feel that early detec- tion tests for breast cancer save thou- sands of lives each year and that many more women and their health care providers took advantage of these tests. A fault in speci c genes can increase risk of developing breast can- cer. Women at risk of having a family gene are offered tests and screening. Find out who could be at risk, and what to do if you think you may have a faulty gene in the family.
We inherit genes from our par- ents. Genes determine many body characteristics, including hair and eye color. We can also inherit conditions and diseases, or a higher risk of them, including breast cancer. Having a faulty high-risk genes linked to breast cancer is not common.
Genes called BRCA1, BRCA2, TP53 or PTEN are linked to breast cancer. Everyone has these genes. If there is a faulty or mutation in one of them. The risk of breast cancer is high. These faulty genes also increase the risk of ovarian cancer. A blood test
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