Talking openly about cancer with your family, especially if your family has a history of cancer can be life-saving. Below are numerous links to organizations that provide a wealth of information about BRCA related and other hereditary cancers. Be sure to share these resources with anybody and everybody you know who has a family history of cancer. Nobody should die of a preventable cancer. Nobody!
Sharing Medical Information with Relatives
If possible, the following family medical information should be collected and shared with close relatives:
-- family members who were diagnosed with cancer
-- age at diagnosis
-- type of cancer, including pathology results, if available
-- genetic test results
Read more...
Talking
to Your Family About Your BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutation
Learn
how to share test results, letters from your doctor or genetic
counselor, or other information you received about your mutation with
your family. Giving family members information about your specific
genetic mutation helps their healthcare providers know exactly which
test to use.
Read more...
How to Share Genetic Test Results With Family
When
you share genetic test results about hereditary cancers, your family
members need to know at least these 2 important details to share with
their health care providers or genetic counselors:
-- The name of the specific gene where the mutation was found, like BRCA2
-- The specific mutation in the gene, like 187delAG in BRCA1
Read more...
All
in the Family: The Importance of Talking About Hereditary Cancer
The
key is communicating information with not just your daughter or son,
but also extended family such as an aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or
grandchild, according to Megan Myers, M.S., a genetic counselor from the
University of California San Francisco (UCSF).
Read more...
Encouraging Family Conversations About Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer - YouTube Video Project
Bring Your Brave: Talking About Your Family History of Cancer
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| Hereditary Cancer Syndrome Video |
Hereditary
Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome
Hereditary
breast and ovarian cancer syndrome is an inherited
cancer-predisposition syndrome. Affected individuals have a
significantly greater risk of developing certain cancers, particularly
breast cancer, in both men and women, and ovarian cancer in women. Many affected individuals tend to develop cancer earlier in life as well, usually before the age of 50.
Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered or FORCE.
FORCE's mission is to improve the lives of individuals and families facing hereditary cancer.
BrightPink.org.
Bright Pink's mission is to accelerate, deepen, and expand the impact of life-saving breast and ovarian health interventions.
Kintalk
Helping families by providing free education, support and help finding early detection and genetics services.
BRCAStrong
To
alleviate the emotional and financial burdens of women facing breast
and/or ovarian cancer (regardless of genetic predisposition) through
advocacy, direct assistance, empowerment and events.