BRCA 1: What Women Need to Know
Guest post by Susan K. Boolbol, MD FACS, Chief of the Appel-Venet Comprehensive Breast Service at Mount Sinai Beth Israel and Amanda Brandt, MS, Certified Genetic Counselor of the Mount Sinai Health System.
In an effort to raise public awareness about breast and ovarian cancer prevention, actress and director, Angelina Jolie, shared her personal story with the world. The New York Times letter revealed that a family history of ovarian cancer had prompted Jolie to seek genetic testing for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. The testing revealed a heightened risk for both and she made the decision to undergo a preventative double-mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery, reducing her breast cancer risk to under 5%. (more…)