how many here have been tested for brac 1 & 2

I took the brac test on tue JULY 6th. Should have results in a few 7-10 days. I did it for my 2 daughters
and 4 grandaughters...We are praying for a - result.

[SueYoung55]

Hi,

I did test for a BRCA mutation. I was very fortunate to have a negative result although I did have cancer. My sister who also had cancer tested and was negative. There are a few ways to absorb the info... a) they haven't found a mutation for our cancer gene or b) we have hereditary cancer and were unfortunate to get it. We have ovarian, breast, lymphoma, non hodgkins lymphoma and melanoma cancers in our family.

We also tested for our children, cousins and extended family.

Best wishes and negative results!

[frustratedrg]

Hi,  I have been trying to decide for years whether to be tested.  I too had breast cancer and although I would like to know I am very nervous to find out if I have the gene.  Im not sure what I would do if I received a positive result, so I just keep putting it off.  Please let me know how your results turn out.  Sending good thoughts your way!!!!

[slee56]

my results were normal no positive for brca 1 or2 .... that is good news for my daughters

[katarina777]

This test is different from the HER one, right?

I don't think I was tested for the BRCA mutation, and it was not suggested as nobody in my family has ever had cancer, or was known to have so.

But then after I was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of bc, my aunt (mother's sister) was diagnoses with pancreatic cancer, (she has since died), and also my twin sister has now very severe cancer on the GI tract and that has spread to half  her  liver and other places and she is very, very ill?

Is there a test that could explain anything about my twin and I bothing getting cancer, and at about the same time? Anything that may shed some light on this?

We have had very different life styles and lived on different continents for all our adult lives.

Thanks, Kat

[bluebutterfly2222]

I'm sure slee56 meant to write BRCA ( BR=breast, CA=cancer) 1 and 2. This refers to  genetic testing, which if positive, indicates an elevated hereditary risk for breast and ovarian cancers. Anyone wanting to know detailed info can find it here:

http://www.facingourrisk.org/hereditary_cancer/genetic_testing.html

[bluebutterfly2222]

I am so very  sorry this has happened to you, your sister, and your aunt.

It is of course both sad and alarming when several people in a family have serious cancers or die from cancer! It would certainly raise the question of a familial genetic predisposition, and that would be especially likely to be the first thought to come to mind in the case of twins.

However, it does not necessarily have to be the case. Cancer is a major public health problem in the United States and many other parts of the world. Currently, 1 in 4 deaths in the United States is due to cancer. For additional statistics regarding cancer in the USA, click on this link: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/123576579/PDFSTART?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

For example, a man I know is absolutely convinced he is going to have cancer, because two members of his extended family have died from it, and two of his siblings are currently  fighting cancer. However,  taking into account that he is one of 15 siblings, and adding in his two parents, four grandparents, countless aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, etc., having 4 people in the family with cancer would actually be way below what would be expected, according to that 1 in 4 figure...

Genetic testing, such as for BRCA 1 and 2 mutations, can be very valuable, since a positive finding can lead to heightened surveillance measures, and in some cases the opportunity to make choices about preventive measures, possibly saving lives. But while
family history seems to be the main risk factor for breast cancer that most women are aware of, it actually plays a much smaller role (about 10%) than a number of other risk factors.

The reality is, we are ALL at  risk for cancer, and ALL need to having regular screenings for those cancers where there is a possibility of early detection, and ALL need to put effort into making the evidence-based lifestyle changes that lower the risk for a variety of cancers.  

You are always in my thoughts,
bluebutterfly

[bluebutterfly2222]

To answer another part of your question:

     "Is there a test that could explain anything about my twin and I both getting           cancer, and at about the same time? Anything that may shed some light on this?"


There are a number of other genetic breast cancer syndromes, besides BRCA 1 and 2,.  One of these might have relevance to you and your twin:


SYNDROME                   GENE            TYPE OFCANCER

Peutz-Jegher syndrome   STKII/LKB1     GI, breast

Muir-Torre syndrome       MSH2/MLH1    Colorectal, breast

bb