Triple Negative Breast Cancer, "I Won't Back Down!": All Women of Ashkenazi Descent to be Screened for the Genectic Mutations

What is TNBC

WHAT IS TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER?

Just in recent years, Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) has sparked interest in the news where instead of calling the tumor as ER-negative, PR-negative, and HER2-negative; researchers began using the shorthand term, "Triple Negative," dubbed the "new type" of breast cancer. Being Triple Negative, you don't have a targeted therapy and your only treatment option is chemotherapy.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer is seen in about 15% of all breast cancers. TNBC is a very aggressive cancer that tends to strike younger women, pre-menopause, especially among African-American women and women who have BRCA1 mutations. The tumor tends to be fast growing and is less likely to show up on an annual mammogram. TNBC is more likely to metastasis early on; has a high rate of recurrence in the first 2-3 years from diagnosis and has a poorer prognosis than other types of breast cancer due to lack of specific, targeted treatment for TNBC.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

All Women of Ashkenazi Descent to be Screened for the Genectic Mutations

On October 18 2014, my oncologist, Dr. Mohamed gave an excellent, very informative presentation that I attended on the risk of BRCA gene mutation of the Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. Here listed, are some facts that I gathered from different websites that I thought was important to share with the Ashkenazi community.

Know your family history, know your risk

http://www.penncancer.org/basser

Individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry (descendants from Eastern and Central Europe) have a 1 in 40 chance of carrying a BRCA gene mutation. This is at least a ten times greater probability than that of the general population.

Women who carry mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 have up to an 80% risk of developing breast cancer and up to a 45% risk of developing ovarian cancer.

The chance that breast, ovarian, or pancreatic cancers are associated with BRCA mutations is highest in families
with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, multiple cases of breast cancer, women with both breast and ovarian cancer,
breast cancer under age 50, individuals with two or more cancers, male breast cancer, pancreatic cancer or ovarian cancer at any age.

BRCA mutations are also associated with increased risk of fallopian tube, primary peritoneal (abdominal lining), pancreatic, melanoma, male breast and prostate cancers.

Men who carry BRCA mutations also have increased cancer risks.

Men can also carry and pass these gene mutations on to their family, and also have increased cancer risk.

If a mother or father carries a BRCA gene mutation, there is a 50% chance of passing it on to each child.

http://www.sharsheret.org

"Instead of Ashkenazi women being tested for the two defective BRCA genes only if a close blood relative contracted breast or ovarian cancer, a research team headed by Shaare Zedek Medical Center Prof. Ephrat Levy-Lahad recommends that all women of Ashkenazi origin be screened for the genetic mutations from age 30." http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Health/Israeli-research-team-Screen-all-Ashkenazi-Jewish-women-for-BRCA-mutations-374551 (Click link to story)