By Katherine Hobson
Over on the WSJ’s Speakeasy blog, iCarly co-star Jennette McCurdy writes about her mom’s 17-year battle with stage IV breast cancer. And she gives advice to young people who are trying to figure out how to communicate with a parent about his or her cancer.
We wondered what tips Marisa Weiss, a breast-cancer oncologist, breast-cancer survivor and founder and president of breastcancer.org, would have for young women like McCurdy, who will likely worry at some point about what their mother’s disease means for their own breast-cancer risk.
Weiss, who with her daughter wrote “Taking Care of Your ‘Girls’: A Breast Health Guide for Girls, Teens and In-Betweens,” says girls in general are more aware of breast cancer — and more worried about it — than they used to be. And, she tells the Health Blog, “if you have a mother or a close relative who has been diagnosed, it hits home. You really feel more vulnerable.”
Because most cases of breast cancer are in women without a significant family history of the disease, and without one of the specific gene mutations that are associated with 10% of breast-cancer cases, “all women and girls need to be mindful of how to reduce the risk of breast cancer,” Weiss says.
Her general advice for lowering breast-cancer risk also applies to the prevention of many chronic diseases: eat a healthful diet, reach and stay at a healthy weight, get regular exercise, cap alcohol consumption at five drinks a week (for those of legal age) and don’t smoke. (Her other advice includes minimizing exposure to chemicals and hormones that may be associated with a higher risk.)
Young women with a relative who has a harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation or who have a strong family history of the disease should talk to a physician or a genetic counselor about getting tested or about starting regular mammograms earlier. The National Cancer Institute sayscriteria for considering genetic testing include two first-degree relatives — meaning a mother or sister — who have the disease (one first-degree relative for women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent) and other patterns of different types of cancer in the family tree.
Relatives diagnosed with breast cancer at an early age — under 50 and particularly under 40 — are more relevant than those diagnosed at 70 or 80.
Weiss also says that even a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation only raises the risk of developing breast cancer — it doesn’t guarantee it. “The wear and tear of living,” lifestyle choices, and environmental factors also play a role, she says, making her advice on that point relevant for everyone.
Image: iStockphoto
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