Cancer Impacts Everyone- #beBRCAware

I received $150 from AstraZeneca, and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience. This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/AstraZeneca

Cancer is a disease that impacts everyone. I was first affected by cancer when I was 12 and it took my aunt. I was recently affected when breast cancer took my best friend’s mom. It doesnt matter the age of the patient or the type of cancer, its an awful disease that can destroy life as you know it. September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and I’m so excited to be supporting this initiative through the #beBRCAware Campaign!

Cancer is not prejudice to age, which means everyone should take ACTION by getting tested for the BRCA gene!

What is a BRCA gene?
BRCA1 and BRCA2 are human genes involved with cell growth, cell division, and cell repair. Although they are most commonly associated with BReast CAncer, approximately 15% of women with ovarian cancer also have BRCA gene mutations

WHO should be tested?

ALL women! One of the reasons many patients are missed is the misconception that only those patients with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer or who are diagnosed at a young age should be tested.

• Almost half (47%) of BRCA-positive ovarian cancer patients have no significant family history of ovarian or breast cancer
• Over two thirds (71%) of BRCA-positive ovarian cancer patients are aged 50 or older

WHAT you can do:

GET TESTED for the BRCA gene!

WHERE and HOW can I get tested?

Testing is simple and can be done with a blood or saliva sample right in your physician’s office! In the United States, results are usually available in 2 to 3 weeks.

WHY is testing important?

Treatment options may vary for women with BRCA mutations including:

• Personalized, or precision, medicine tailors treatment to a patient’s genetic profile, and with cancer it means doctors can target the specific mutations that they know drive a disease
• This helps patients determine the right treatment options for them
• For this reason, it is important for women with ovarian cancer to receive genetic testing so that they can plan with their doctor an individual treatment plan that is optimized for their specific cancer

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 21,000 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in the Unites States in 2015, and that a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer is 1 in 73.

• For the 60% of ovarian cancer patients whose cancer has spread to other organs by the time of diagnosis, the five-year survival rate is only 27%
• Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system and is often diagnosed late because symptoms mirror everyday ailments

What else can you do to raise awareness?

Talk to your family and friends about the importance of BRCA testing and #beBRCAware!Follow the #beBRCAware campaign on Twitter Facebook  YouTube and by visiting MyOCJourney!