Should I get mammograms earlier or be tested for the Breast Cancer gene?
Mу Aunt (Dad’s sister) died οf breast cancer аnd hаd thе breast cancer gene ѕhουld I ѕtаrt mammograms earlier οr gеt tested fοr thе breast cancer gene?
Mу Aunt (Dad’s sister) died οf breast cancer аnd hаd thе breast cancer gene ѕhουld I ѕtаrt mammograms earlier οr gеt tested fοr thе breast cancer gene?
You need to learn breast self exam if you don’t already. You need to get a baseline mammogram, even if you are young. It costs between 3-4 thousand dollars to genetically test for the breast cancer gene. If you had the gene, would you be prepared to deal with making desperate changes, like having your breasts indifferent to prevent cancer? The pros’s reckon it is better to know, so as to avoid being paid cancer. Even if you have the gene, it isn’t 100% that you will get cancer.
The choice is yours to make, it is a personal choice and a financial one. If you are tested and have the gene you may be denied life indemnity or other things.
Best of Luck–I have been through this myself.
You may be interested to know there is a greater link to breast cancer from your fathers side (generally not personally) than your mothers.
If your aunt’s breast cancer was certainly due to one of the two faulty genes known to be responsible for hereditary breast cancer (only 5 – 10% of breast cancer cases are), then it would make more sense to establish whether your father carries that gene. Like his sister, he will have had a 50% opportunity of inheriting it from whichever of their parents carried it.
If he did inherit it, then you have a 50% opportunity of having inherited it from him. If he didn’t inherit it, nor will you have.
Talk to your dad and to your doctor about this issue.
This link may help you find the information you’re looking for:
http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/genetic/hard/