[dropcap]There[/dropcap] are many women who struggle with breast cancer among us: a family member, a friend, a fellow congregant, a colleague, a neighbor. They had annual mammograms, never missed an appointment with their gynecologist and performed self-examinations. Still, one day they feel a lump. It’s cancer. Many more survive than used to. Others succumb. In this respect, Jews are no different from the general population.
For Jewish women of Ashkenazi descent, however, inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes increase the risk of developing breast, ovarian and other cancers.
One in 40 Ashkenazi Jews (including men) carry a BRCA mutation that could result in breast cancer. About 2-3% of Jews of Eastern European descent carry the harmful mutation. This rate is about 10 times higher than the general population.
But numbers and statistics dont tell the entire story. BRCA is inherited. There is a 50% chance that a parent can pass the mutation to ones daughters or sons.
There is a test to determine whether you carry the mutation. The National Cancer Institute recommends BRCA screenings for those who were diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50; who had or have cancer in both breasts; have breast or ovarian cancer; multiple breast cancers; two or more primary types of BRCA1- or BRCA2-related cancers in a single family member; for cases of male breast cancer; and anyone who has Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity.
Cost of the screenings depend upon insurance coverage, family history and other factors such as testing a specific area or multiple sites.
Approximately 90% of reproductive cancers are not inherited, which means BRCA mutations affect a relatively small number of women. But as the IJN wrote in an article about Nana Seligman-Sommers in 2013, If youre one of those women, percentages go out the window.
JEWISHcolorado, in partnership with Sharsheret, the national support group for Jewish women affected by breast cancer, is presenting the first Denver-wide Pink Shabbat for Colorado Oct. 24-25. We urge you to attend one of these Shabbats for yourself, your loved ones and their future — and for Shabbat.
Copyright © 2014 by the Intermountain Jewish News