Who Knew How Many Cancers Are Genetic

Friday I had the opportunity to meet with a genetic counselor finally. I learned that just being an Ashkenazi  Jew is enough to go ahead and get genetic testing for breast cancer. There are some genes that put you at risk for a special type of breast cancer too like the one I had which is lobular not ductal (ductal is the most common) Then I learned that there are some breast cancers that are also related to stomach and colon cancer.  And then once everything was on paper, I could see that I have had more experiences with cancer than I thought. I did have a basal cell removed in my early 30's from my forehead and I had a precancerous polyp in my colon/rectum removed in my late 30's. 

I brought with me my mother's reports from Penn from 1968 and 1969. One detailed report was even written on her birthday..... the day she turned 42. She died 6 weeks later.   I have had several medical health care providers study my mother's chart from Penn.  She likely had Cancer in her lower GI tract (stomach, liver, pancreatic,)  before it moved to her lungs and  possibly her breast. However, we will never know how significant her having a partial hysterectomy was as she had that at Lankenau hospital several years earlier. I was able to get her records ( before HIPPA) from Penn because it is a teaching hospital and had them on micro-film.  From the reports, I learned that she and I had the same breast condition in our right breasts too- a papilloma. I had mine removed since they were already doing surgery on my left breast, I wanted it out anyway- they usually do a wait and see...... but my surgeon had no problem with removing it since she was already there- what was one more cut. 

So the bottom line is that I am being tested for a wide panel of genetic cancers- over 40 of them. Not all of them have a high percentage of getting cancer like the BRCA genes but I wanted to know as much as possible. The BRCA genes are not even a 100 % predictive - it is closer to 60% chance of getting breast /ovarian cancer if you have that gene.  I am sure as the decades roll on, they will discover more and more diseases as well as many other things about being human like personality traits, on our genes.   I will have the results in 3 weeks. Just before Passover...........hmmm.