BRAC Analysis

[sunnyash]

I'm hoping to get opinions about this test. Those who have had it done? Those who haven't? And why for both?

Breast cancer hits really close to home for me, my godmother had it 3 times and eventually passed when it metastasized in her bone marrow. Her 2 daughters, might as well call them my sisters, are battling with getting tested for the gene. The oldest (25) got tested and doesn't have it! Exciting right? Well now the youngest (19) doesn't want the test, because she doesn't want to know if she will be the one that has to worry. Kind of a odd situation too, because she looks and acts the most like their mother and is just determined that if she gets the test and it is positive, then she will become a worry wort and spend her life looking for prevention instead of living.

In an effort to be as educated about it as I can, I decided to write a paper about the issue for one of my college classes.

I'm coming to this board for help. Have any of you thought about this? What do you know? Can you help?

[eureka254]

My understanding is that folks fall on both sides of the fence: just as many with appropriate family cancer histories choose to test as those who choose not to,  very similar to your godsisters' individual decisions.  Knowledge can be a powerful or a dangerous thing, much of that depending on the nature of the person holding the knowledge.  

I have a family history of pre-menopausal breast cancer (grandmother and sister), but I have not pursued BRCA testing thus far although I have considered it and may choose to test in the future.  The reason I had chosen not to test initially when it was offered a few years back was that I didn't think it would matter for anyone other than myself as I have no daughters (and am almost past child-bearing age), and my sisters are not interested in testing.  What has caused me to reconsider of late is a couple of factors: learning that BRCA genes can also impact men as well as increase their chances for early colon cancer and therefore concern for my son, and a BIRADS 3 finding on my most recent mammogram has kept it a possible consideration.

Though I currently don't have any problem getting yearly mammograms covered by my insurance, the recent government recommendation that they need not be performed but every other year is something I'll be keeping my eye on.  If it comes to pass that my insurance declines to cover annual mammograms, that may be a crossroads point at which I would pursue BRCA testing to ensure that 2 year interval mammos are adequate. Hope that answers some of your questions... good luck with your paper! ~eureka

PS: There's also an active Breast Cancer community that might give you good feedback:
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Breast-Cancer/show/54

[GeezLouize75]

I have not had BRAC Analysis done but I come from a family with a history of cancer....on both Mom and Dad's side.  Namely, colon cancer.  I started getting screened (colonoscopy) when I was 40.  Catching it early can save your life.  I would rather know and fight the beast than not know and always wonder what is lurking inside my body.  I am 53 and have now had 4 pre-cancerous polyps removed.  Had I not had the colonoscopies, who is to say if I would still be around?  Good Luck with your paper.