Would You Have a Preventative Mastectomy
In 2004, Karen Aulner lived this tense seen after deciding to have the testing for mutations of the BRCA genes associated with aggressive breast cancers. Since that time, she has undergone preventive double mastectomy, three breast reconstructions, and most recently had her ovaries removed all in the hopes of preventing breast cancer. She was motivated, in part by her older sister’s battle with the disease which has included recurring tumors and ultimately metastatic disease all subsequent to a double mastectomy after diagnosis of the first turmor. While the actions of Auluner to stave off cancer may be considered by many to be drastic, a study led by Dr. Todd Tuttle found that over a five year period (1998-2005) the percentage of women with a tumor in one breast choosing bilateral mastectomy rose from 4.2% to 11% . “Women who have had cancer in one breast and have a BRCA mutation… have a risk of 3 percent per year of developing cancer in the opposite breast…and the risk is cumulative,” Dr. Tuttle explains.
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