Join The Pack, Consider BRAC Testing

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Annie Getsinger, Herald and Review, Decatur, Ill.

October 14, 2009

Oct. 14--CHICAGO -- In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a group of women known as the BRAC (Be Ready Against Cancer) Pack has stepped up its efforts to encourage genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer. The women are advocates for BRACAnalysis, a lab test that looks for mutations on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

Meg Zavich, 42, of St. Louis is one of those women. In 1997, Zavich, then 29, went to her physician for a mammogram because of a strong family history of breast cancer. She was diagnosed with the disease and underwent a lumpectomy and radiation.

In 2003, after trying for five years to start a family with her husband, Zavich opted for genetic testing before moving forward with fertility treatments. At age 36, she found out that about a mutation of her BRCA2 gene.

"When I found out I was positive for the BRCA2 gene, I ended up getting a bilateral mastectomy and a full hysterectomy," Zavich said.

Dr. Teresa Knight, an obstetrician/gynecologist with Women's Health Specialists of St. Louis, is Zavich's doctor and another genetic testing advocate. To determine if people are eligible for the test, physicians look at a few "red flag" indicators, she said. The most common is breast cancer in an individual or family member before the age of 50.

"That is actually a much stronger indicator than the number of individuals in the family," Knight said.

Ovarian cancer at any age, male breast cancer, multiple primary cancers, Ashkenazi or Northern European Jewish ancestry and relatives with known BRCA mutations are among the other indications for testing.

The general population's risk of developing breast cancer by age 50 is about 2 percent, Knight said. In those with BRCA mutations, the risk increases to around 50 percent.

"The scary thing about cancer is you don't see it coming," Knight said. "It's like a violent crime."

Although the test can't prevent cancer, she said, it can give women the power to change their lifestyles and perhaps change health outcomes. Armed with information about their status, women can increase their surveillance and screenings.

In many cases, insurance covers the genetic testing costs as well as the early mammography and prophylactic surgeries some with positive results choose to undergo, Knight said. Women who are breast cancer survivors like Zavich also should consider testing, Knight added, as those who have the gene mutations have a much higher risk of recurrence.

Zavich advised women who feel they might be candidates for testing to consult their doctors.

"They can go into it having a plan," she said.

Zavich said she felt empowered by the ability to make decisions based on her test results. Several of her family members also have been tested, with some taking potentially lifesaving actions.

"Thank God, the test is available, and if you decide to do it, then you can create a treatment pattern for yourself," she said.

To learn more about the test, visit www.bracnow.com.

agetsinger@herald-review.com 421-6968

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