Why Get Genetic Testing?

If breast cancer or ovarian cancer runs in your family, knowing for sure whether you have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation (which make it more likely you’ll get these types of cancer) can help you reduce your risk of falling victim. Fortunately, most insurance plans reimburse the fees for BRAC Analysis, a simple blood analysis. If you test positive, some of your options are:

Extra checkups: By being screened more often for breast or ovarian cancer, you’ll be able to treat it sooner if it does occur. Women under the age of 40 will want to get mammograms, even though they’re not standard at this age for the general population. Your doctor may also recommend an MRI, which is better at detecting breast cancer than a mammogram.

Medication: Research is ongoing into medicines that can help ward off breast and ovarian cancer. You may benefit from taking one if you have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. Oral contraceptives (aka the pill) are also proven to reduce risk.

Surgery: Some women opt to have their breasts or ovaries removed to radically reduce their risk of cancer. This is an option only for women at a very high risk. Although the most drastic, it does cut the chances more than any other preventive measure.

Arming Yourself with More Information

Once you know whether you carry one of the genes, you’ll probably feel some relief. If the results are positive, you’ll be able to work with your doctor to create a plan to keep you healthy. Having one of the genes doesn’t mean you’ll definitely get cancer—it just means you should be extra vigilant about prevention.

The information not only helps you but also your family. Samantha, 55, told WebMD: “My grandmother died of breast cancer, my mother had breast cancer, and I just finished treatment for my own breast cancer. I’m going to have a gene test, because I want my children to know whether a BRCA gene defect runs in the family. If I test positive, my children and my brother’s family will have more information to protect their health.” Want more good news? The test will also help Samantha herself with secondary breast cancer (up to 64 percent) and ovarian cancer (up to 44 percent).

Making the Choice

How do you know if BRAC Analysis is a good idea for you? Start with this quiz, and if it indicates that you may want to look into testing, schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss. BRAC Analysis is no different than any other diagnostic test patients get so loop it into your healthy living plan now. Prevention is key and the BRAC Analysis test is highly preventative.

Remember: Knowing puts the power in your hands—so if it applies to you, add looking into BRAC Analysis to your list of resolutions and make 2012 the year of being proactive.

About BRACAnalysis:

It enables you to make important choices and take steps to reduce the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.

The results of the test can make a significant difference in your life and the lives of your family members, depending on your family history of cancer.

The cost of the test is reimbursed by most insurance plans.

If you’re wondering if BRAC Analysis is right for you, visit www.BRACnow.com for more information.

Being diagnosed with breast cancer can understandably be tough on any woman—but imagine being diagnosed the very day your husband’s vice presidential bid ends. Then, once the cancer has gone into remission, having it return in the midst of your husband’s grueling campaign for presidency. And then, as if all that weren’t enough, fighting the battle while it’s publicly revealed that your husband had an affair and fathered another woman’s child.

This was the scenario for Elizabeth Edwards, who succumbed to metastatic breast cancer a year ago this month. Her struggle sparked interest in a question that researchers have been asking for years: Does stress contribute to breast cancer?

No one knows for sure, but many scientists are interested in the relationship between the two. While some factors, like the breast cancer gene (find out more about getting tested for it at www.bracnow.com), have been definitively linked to breast cancer, stress is still undergoing research.

Looking for a Link

A study last year at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that stress was a sort of “fertilizer” that spurred the growth of breast cancer in mice, as it redirected immune cells meant to ward off the disease and helped tumors spread. They also found a 30-fold increase in cancer progression in stressed mice when compared with those that were not stressed.

A long-term study of 1,400 Swedish women in 2003 reported that women who were under stress had twice the risk of developing breast cancer as women who didn’t report issues with stress. Although the study was small, it did control for other factors such as family history of cancer, alcohol use, body weight, smoking, and age when a woman first got her period. Similarly, an Israeli study in 2008 showed that young women who had been through two or more traumatic life events were at a greater risk for breast cancer than those who hadn’t.

On the other hand, many studies have failed to find a link, such as one that looked at women who had lost a child—despite the extreme stress, they were no more likely to get breast cancer than other women.

Teasing out stress and its effects is difficult—for example, people who are stressed might be more likely to eat more unhealthily, drink more alcohol, or engage in some other behavior that could increase the risk for cancer.

Stress Busters

Although stress in small doses can be a great motivator, it seems likely that the kind of stress Edwards was under only made her fight against the disease more difficult. While scientists continue their research, it’s worth de-stressing in general if you feel that anxiety and tension are having a negative impact on your life. Here are six quick tips for minimizing day-to-day stressors:

• Say no to taking on more responsibilities if you already feel overwhelmed.

• Play music that makes you happy.

• Call a friend on the phone.

• Focus on your breathing.

• Get some fresh air, especially if you’re often cooped up indoors.

• Carve out time for things you enjoy.

About BRACAnalysis:

• It enables you to make important choices and take steps to reduce the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.
• The results of the test can make a significant difference in your life and the lives of your family members, depending on your family history of cancer.
• The cost of the test is reimbursed by most insurance plans.

If you’re wondering if BRAC Analysis is right for you, visit www.BRACnow.com for more information.

All the pink products and festivities in October make it pretty tough to miss Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an important time for educating people about breast cancer prevention and resources. What you might miss each year, though, is just a month earlier—every September is a smaller but no less important affair: Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

Although ovarian cancer doesn’t get as much attention as breast cancer—both have ties to the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes—it’s just as crucial for people to know about, especially in light of the fact that it’s one of the deadliest cancers for women and often isn’t diagnosed until it’s progressed to a late stage.

How do I know if I’m at risk?

No woman is immune to ovarian cancer. Those with the breast cancer gene have a higher chance of getting it than the average woman, as do those with a family history of ovarian cancer (a sister or mother with it put you at particular risk). If you’ve ever had breast, uterus, rectum or colon cancer, that also increases your chances. Women who have never been pregnant suffer a higher risk, and the older you get, the greater your odds—although it’s important to remember ovarian cancer can strike at any age.

What signs should I look for?

The four biggest symptoms are: bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and urinary urgency or frequency. These tend to get worse over time if ovarian cancer is the cause. Other symptoms include backaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea and changes in bowel habits (such as constipation or diarrhea). The symptoms are shared with a host of other ailments, so it can be tough to diagnose ovarian cancer early on.

How can I reduce my risk for ovarian cancer?

While you can’t change your family history or many of the other risk factors, you can do a few things to minimize your risk. Ovarian cancer is linked with obesity, so maintaining a balanced diet combined with exercise most days of the week will keep you healthy—a benefit for warding off cancer as well as fighting it if you are affected. Birth control pills have also been shown to provide some protection, but they come with their own risks, so talk to your doctor about whether they’re a good option for you.

If you have a family history and want to know whether you carry a gene that might put you at risk, genetic testing can be a good way to get some answers. Lenore Jackson, a woman who battled for nine years with the disease, discovered that her cancer was linked with her mother’s breast cancer and her aunt’s breast/ovarian cancer. “Genetic testing has shown that I have the BRAC2 gene for ovarian and breast cancer,” she told OvarianCancerAwareness.org. “This information will help my daughters and their granddaughters protect themselves against this disease.”

Lifestyle changes, frequent screening and surgery may be some of the options you and your female family members want to consider if you do have a gene mutation. For more information on testing and whether it might be right for you, visit www.bracnow.com.

About BRACAnalysis:

• It enables you to make important choices and take steps to reduce the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.
• The results of the test can make a significant difference in your life and the lives of your family members, depending on your family history of cancer.
• The cost of the test is reimbursed by most insurance plans.

If you’re wondering if BRAC Analysis is right for you, visit www.BRACnow.com for more information.

October has historically been a month of black and orange, but these days, it’s more likely to be dominated by pink. Everywhere you look, you’ll see products emblazoned with the familiar pink ribbon logo, football players charging down the field in pink cleats, and even the White House swathed in pink light. It’s all to promote awareness of breast cancer, a disease that will be diagnosed for the first time in more than 230,000 women this year.

With so many of our mothers, friends, sisters, co-workers and daughters affected, it can be scary to contemplate that your breasts, once reminders of your strength and femininity, could turn against you. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to reduce your risk — and if you are affected, there are amazing support groups and organizations all across the country for survivors.

Some risk factors, like simply being female and aging, can’t be changed, but others can. Leading as healthy of a lifestyle as possible, with a balanced diet and plenty of exercise, is one great step you can take. Limiting your alcohol intake to less than a drink a day is another.

Routine screening is also an important component — the sooner cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat. Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute recommend yearly mammograms for women beginning at age 40. Those at increased risk due to a family history may want to be screened sooner, so talk to your doctor if this applies to you.

Women at a high risk may also want to consider BRAC Analysis, which will help determine if you have a gene associated with hereditary breast cancer. High risk governs women who have had breast before the age of 50 or ovarian cancer at an age; women who have a family history of breast cancer (on mother of father’s side—first, second or third degree relatives); women of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry and more. (To find out if you’re at risk, click here.)

Shannon and Kyla Harris, two young sisters from Arizona, were definitely at risk—high risk. They had watched a number of women in their lives pass away from the disease. Understandably, they wanted to know what their odds were of meeting the same fate. When the results came back, Shannon, 24 at the time, tested positive. “It was a bit of a relief and I wasn’t at all surprised,” she says. “It was kind of like, okay, now I can figure out my options.”

For her, those options included a preventive mastectomy, a procedure many criticized as too drastic for someone Shannon’s age, but it’s a decision she doesn’t regret. Although breast cancer could still strike, she’s reduced the chances by more than 95 percent.

“I want to watch my son grow, and it’s just one less thing to worry about and stress about,” she says. “I feel great; it’s just a weight off my shoulders. I have a story to tell, I’ve met great people, and I feel stronger.”

It is important to note, however, that the majority of women get additional imaging over the course of time (MRIs and early and/or annual mammograms—both of which are usually covered by insurance) and are, thus, able to stay one step ahead of anything that may arise.

No matter what your experience with breast cancer, take some time this month to support any woman you know who’s been touched by the disease, reflect on what lifestyle changes you could make to give yourself the best shot at staying healthy, and wear that pink with pride.

About BRACAnalysis:

• It enables you to make important choices and take steps to reduce the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.
• The results of the test can make a significant difference in your life and the lives of your family members, depending on your family history of cancer.
• The cost of the test is reimbursed by most insurance plans.

If you’re wondering if BRAC Analysis is right for you, visit www.BRACnow.com for more information.