[Sandy in Silicon Valley]

Hi, Dorinda,

Your worry about possibly carrying a genetic predisposition that puts you and your daughters at higher risk of breast cancer is something I experienced as well.

Do you have other immediate family members (mother, grandmother, sisters) who've been diagnosed with breast cancer?

My mother was dx'd with breast cancer when she was 55; then I was dx'd with Stage II bc when I was 44. When I decided to get genetic testing, in 1997, via a study that was being done in my area at the time, I had to do a whole family history of breast and other related cancers, and found out that my maternal grandmother and 4 of her siblings all died of related cancers.

This made me a good candidate for genetic testing and genetic counseling. I tested positive for the BR CA 1 mutation, and later had my ovaries removed by laparoscopic oopherectomy, because the mutation also meant that I had a greater risk of developing ovarian cancer, and with chemo & anti-hormonal treatments, I'd already gone through menopause.

Like you, I also have 3 daughters. My oldest daughter got genetic testing, and thank goodness, tested negative. My other two daughters haven't yet been tested. I think that most genetic counselors feel that testing is only warranted if you have bc and have a mother or father with bc as well, and only if the results would change your health-related behavior.

The tests are still pretty expensive, and most insurance doesn't cover the costs, I think.

I don't know of any studied link between HER2neu+++ bc and either of the BR CA mutations - but I'm also HER2neu+++, and am on Herceptin and Tykerb.

(((hugs)))
Sandy in Silicon Valley