None of my immediate female relatives have had breast cancer but apparently that doesn’t mean that my disease is not hereditary.
When I went to see my GP yesterday, he suggested that I should ask the hospital for a DNA test to see if I carry one of the ‘breast cancer genes’. I hadn’t really considered this before but, on reading some information from the Genetic Alliance, I’ve realised that this might not be such a pointless exercise.
It turns out that the faulty gene can be passed down the male line to female descendents. My father had one brother, and their father was an only child. However my Grandfather’s mother (also called Kate), died from - yes, you guessed it - breast cancer.
To be fair, she was 91 years old ... But it did get me thinking because my sister and I are the first females in that blood line since her. I think this requires further investigation ... !
deff worth investigating, normally we are not eligable for routine mamograms until we are about 50, if you have the gene present you can get in the system earlier. a friend whos family history was saturated with breast cancer had her initial tumour caught v early on thanks to them recognising a Possible risk and started giving her mamograms in her late 20s.
ReplyDeletepleased you ae feeling a bit better.
I wish you a speedy recovery