Women
encouraged to learn their family health history during Gynecologic
Cancer Awareness Month in September
Newswise — The Women’s Cancer
Research Institute (WCRI) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is joining
with the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF) to educate women about
familial breast-ovarian cancer syndrome this September during
Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month. Women with this syndrome have a
90 percent risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer during
their lifetime.
During September, the WCRI
and the GCF recommend that women learn their family history
of gynecologic cancer; conduct an online risk assessment at
www.wcn.org educate themselves about gynecologic
cancers, and make an appointment for their annual
gynecologic exam and screening.
According to Beth Karlan, M.D.,
director of the Women’s Cancer Research Institute at the Samuel
Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center,
research studies have found that about one of every 500 individuals
in the general population are members of a family that will inherit
and pass on a mutation in the Breast Cancer 1 (BRCA1) or the Breast
Cancer 2 (BRCA2) gene, the cause of familial breast-ovarian cancer
syndrome.
Women of Ashkenazi Jewish
descent have a one in 40 chance of inheriting or passing on
the mutation. Women with a BRCA1 gene mutation have an 80
percent chance of developing breast cancer, and a 20 percent
to 40 percent chance of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Mutations in the BRCA2 gene result in the same sharply
higher risk of developing breast cancer as the BRCA1 gene,
but fewer women --10 percent to 20 percent-- will be
diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
“Because of the high risk of
cancer in families that carry this gene, it is extremely important
for women to know their family history of these cancers,” says
Karlan. “This can be done through a simple blood test that is
usually covered by insurance for women at genetic risk. If it is
determined that a woman is at increased risk after undergoing
genetic testing, she should discuss strategies for managing this
risk with her healthcare provider, who can best suggest additional
screening exams and risk reduction strategies.”
All women, however, should be
screened regularly to help insure that any existing cancers are
identified at their earliest, most treatable stages, says Karlan.
Women should be familiar with their breasts so that they will notice
any changes and report them to their doctor. She recommends that
women from 30 to 40 years old have clinical breast exams (a breast
exam by your doctor) every one to three years, while women age 40 or
older should have annual mammograms and clinical breast exams. Women
who are at greater risk because of family history, a genetic
predisposition or previous cancer should consider earlier
mammograms, additional tests and/or more frequent exams.
GCF provides information about
gynecologic cancers through the Women’s Cancer Network at
www.wcn.org and through its Information Hotline at 800-444-4441. GCF
was founded on the premise that providing women with current
information about gynecologic cancers will empower them to take
appropriate steps to reduce their risks, and to seek early and
appropriate care if symptoms arise.
“It is our hope that during
Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month in September,-. and Breast Cancer
Awareness Month in October, women will take the opportunity to learn
more about the inherited link between breast and ovarian cancer, and
indeed, all types of cancers,” says Karlan. “Doing so can save
lives.”