Last Updated on August 14, 2020 by Ellen Christian
Losing someone can give you an increased awareness of your mortality. My Grandmother recently passed away, and it’s made me stop and think. While she was in her nineties when she died, there are no guarantees in this life. We can be here one moment and gone the next.
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Ovarian Cancer Testing
While there are no guarantees when it comes to how long we’ll live, we can do our best to live a healthy lifestyle and be aware of genetic issues we may need to deal with. Being aware is the first step. If you’re not aware, you cannot take action to improve your health or change your lifestyle.
BRCA1 and BRCA2 are human genes involved with cell growth, cell division, and cell repair. Although they are most commonly associated with BReast CAncer, approximately 15% of women with ovarian cancer also have BRCA gene mutations.
For patients with advanced ovarian cancer who have had multiple lines of chemotherapy, the prognosis is poor, and treatment options are progressively limited with each additional line of therapy. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 21,000 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2015 and that a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer is 1 in 73.
Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system and is often diagnosed late because symptoms mirror everyday ailments.
Please help raise awareness for ovarian cancer testing during the month of September by having conversations with your friends and family members about ovarian cancer and the importance of BRCA testing, and by sharing one of the images or videos in this post on your social channels with the hashtag #beBRCAware.
Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.
These statistics are grim and shocking. As someone who has lost several family members to cancer, I feel that awareness and education are so important. Thank you for sharing this information.
Glad to share, Anne. I hope it helps.
Thank you for spreading awareness on this important topic. I will be sure to share it with my friends and family
Thank you, Andrea!
Thanks for sharing this important information, Ellen. Did I read it right, though, that only 15% of patients with ovarian cancer actually have this gene mutation? What happens once you find out you have the mutation?
That’s my understanding, Michelle. I’m far from an expert but I found this article helpful http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/genetic/pos_results
Great awareness piece and kudos to you for boosting people’s awareness. There are so many things we don’t know about ovarian cancer and it’s very scary indeed.
That’s very true, Jill. Thank you.
Cancer is indeed a scary thing. It’s great that you are joining in the efforts to make this topic known and make people aware. You might have just saved a life without knowing it!
I hope so, Janice!
Those are great quotes. Very inspiring. I found this statistic– “a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer is 1 in 73”- very shocking!
Thanks, Scarlet. I agree. It’s scary!