Hereditary breast cancer could be responsible for up to 10 per cent of breast cancers.
However, awareness of this is still very low amongst women worldwide despite some high profile celebrities like Angelina Jolie having preventative surgery themselves.
There is a lot of confusion about the BRCA gene and other mutated genes but the simple facts are that if you are a carrier of a faulty gene (a blood test will confirm if this is the case) then you have an 85 per cent chance of developing breast cancer. It is a hereditary gene that can be passed through the mother or the father.
Anita Care, designers of post-surgical lingerie and swimwear, are sponsoring a journal for the National Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline, featuring the stories of 12 women who have all had risk reducing breast surgery because they are carriers of a hereditary faulty gene (most commonly BRCA1 or BRCA2) that leaves them with an 80-90 per cent chance of developing breast cancer. They have all lost mums, sisters, aunts or other close family members to the disease.
The journal will be used by the charity as a tool for newly diagnosed women to record their own journeys as they make decisions about how to proceed with the news that they are carrying one of the faulty genes.
All the women featured want to reassure others that radical risk reducing surgery is not as scary as it sounds and there is a lot of support out there for anyone currently going through this.
If you have a strong history of breast and/or ovarian cancer in your family then it may be worth checking out!
Find out more at www.breastcancergenetics.co.uk
