Genes, breasts and tests
In July I met with a genetic counselor; it was a hoop I had to jump through in order to get genetic testing. I figured I had learned what I needed to know from the pamphlet, “Your Jewish Genes: Hereditary Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer,” [i] which I found in my oncologist’s waiting area . But no! Bob Resta was a fast-talking, information-dense fount of facts [ii] . My attorney friend Layla and my physician father happened to be with me, and we were all fascinated, so I thought I’d share some of what we learned as I decimated Mr. Resta's bowl of Dove chocolate and madly scribbled in my notebook. [iii] American women as a whole have a 12 percent lifetime risk of breast cancer. Ninety percent of breast cancer cases do not have an obvious genetic component. There are six genes known to cause breast cancer, at least four of which he said I clearly did not have. Some 30 percent of women who have a breast cancer gene don’t have a family history of breast cancer.