The majority of cancer occurs by chance. In about 5-10% of cases, the
cancer is hereditary and the risks are higher. Individuals with
hereditary breast and ovarian cancer are born with a gene change that
leads to an increased chance for developing cancer and can be passed
down through generations in the family. Many hereditary breast and
ovarian cancers are associated with mutations in two genes, known as
BRCA1 and BRCA2. These mutations can also increase the risk of prostate
cancer.
If an individual has a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2, each of his or her
children has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation and therefore is at
increased risk for these cancers. Although males may not have the same
cancer risks as females, fathers can still carry a gene mutation that
may be passed on to their children. Genetic tests are available for
mutations in these genes. If a parent does not have a mutation their
children cannot inherit it from them.
The HBOC Society provides information to anyone concerned about their
risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.
If
you are concerned about your family history of cancer, you can ask
your doctor for a referral to a genetics clinic. A genetic counselor
can help to determine if genetic testing for hereditary cancer will be
helpful to your family. It is important to know who in your
family has had cancer, what type of cancer, and how old they were when
they were first diagnosed. Hereditary cancers tend to occur at
earlier ages than sporadic cancers. Talk to family members if
necessary to get the facts.
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Alberta Breast Cancer Program www.albertabreast.com
Be Bright Pink
Breast Cancer .org
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation www.cbcf.org
Canadian Breast Cancer Network www.cbcn.ca
Canadian Cancer Society www.cancer.ca
Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control www.cancercontrol.org
CBCRA (Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance www.breast.cancer.ca
CBCRA Open Access Archive https://researchspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807.1/1
Current Oncology Patient Support www.currentoncology.com
Facing our Risk of Cancer Empowered www.facingourrisk.org
Genetic Health www.genetichealth.com
Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Foundation (Quebec) www.hboc.ca
National Ovarian Cancer Association (NOCA) www.ovariancanada.org
National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institute of Health (U.S.) http://www.genome.gov/10000507
National Cancer Institute, U.S. National Institute of Health http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/BRCA
Ovarian Cancer Canada www.ovariancancercanada.ca
Resources For Women - Ovarian Cancer www.resourcesforwomen.com/ovariancancer.htmwww.youngsurvival.org
Rethink Pink http://www.rethinkbreastcancer.com/
Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation www.dslrf.org
Young Survival Coalition http://www.youngsurvival.org/
The Quote Garden
BOOKS
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Off the Rack, by Genae Girard
In this illuminating, heart-felt and bittersweet humorous book, cancer survivor Genae Girard shares her personal journey through the raw pain of a cancer diagnosis to a ‘new normal’ way of vital living. She reveals her innermost thoughts with a surprising candor and unique, quirky creativity to help others have a fresh perspective in understanding this life-changing disease. There is power in self-education, taking control of the medical treatment process and being able to get real in handling the scary stuff by keeping a sense of humor about it all.
Order from Amazon |
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What We Have, by Amy Boesky
The stirring true story of a woman who chose fearlessness in the face of a fatal family legacy and discovered the pleasure of living each moment to its fullest. In What We Have, Boesky tells the story of one year in her family’s life. A year that is filled with wonderful and funny life changing moments – finding a dream house and having a new baby as well as life’s tragedies – the phone call from their parents disclosing their mother’s breast cancer.
Order from Amazon |
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The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook: Issues and Answers from Research to Recovery, Kathy Steligo
The Rx for understanding mastectomy and reconstruction. The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook is THE resource for women considering reconstructive surgery. 'Finally, women have a blueprint of the reconstruction process. They have choices. This book explains them all.' Sue Friedman, Exec. Dir. Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE).
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In the Family
At 31, filmmaker Joanna Rudnick faces an impossible decision: remove her breasts and ovaries or risk incredible odds of developing cancer. Armed with a positive genetic test result that leaves her essentially 'a ticking time bomb,' she balances dreams of having her own children with the unnerving reality that she is risking her life by holding on to her fertility. In The Family follows Joanna as she takes us on a journey through the unpredictable world of predictive genetic testing.
Order from Amazon |
HBOC LIBRARY
The HBOC Society Library holds useful information that can assist you in your decision whether or not to have testing and support you in whatever you decide afterwards. Many of the recommended reading selections below are available in our library for members.
2008 Pretty Is What Changes: Impossible Choices, the Breast Cancer Gene, and How I Defied My Destiny. Jessica Queller
2007 Apron Strings: Inheriting Courage, Wisdom and…Breast Cancer (www.apronstringsbook.com). Diane Tropea Greene
2004 Am I Next in Line? (See website at w.aminextinline.com) Monique Achtman
2004 Bearing Up with Cancer: life, and living with... Dr. Annie Smith
2003 Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart. Alan D. Wolfelt
2003 An ovarian cancer companion. Diane Sims Roth
2003 Ovarian cancer: your guide to taking control .Kristine Conner, and Lauren Langford
2001 Reconstructing Aphrodite. Photographs by Terry Lorant
2000 Assess your true risk of cancer. Patricia T. Kelly
1999 Past imperfect: how tracing your family medical history can save your life. Carol Daus
1998 A woman's decision: breast care, treatment & reconstruction. Karen J. Berger, and John Bostwick
1998 Living in the postmastectomy body: learning to live in and love your body again. Rebecca L. Zuckweiler
1997 In control: making the most of the genetic tests for breast cancer .Neil F. Sharpe
1995 Letters from motherless daughters: words of courage, grief, and healing Edited with an introduction by Hope Edelman
1994 Motherless daughters: the legacy of loss .Hope Edelman
1991 Spinning straw into gold: your emotional recovery from breast cancer .Ronnie Kaye
1989 It's Always Something .Gilda Radner
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