BRCA carrier: Why I chose prophylactic surgery | MD Anderson Cancer Center

BRCA carrier: Why I chose prophylactic surgery | MD Anderson Cancer Center

BRCA1+ carrier: Why I chose prophylactic surgery

BY JENNY MCCARTHY

I’m lucky. Because although I’ve worn the all-too-familiar MD Anderson patient 

wristband off and on since July 2015, I’ve never actually had cancer. And I have 

my doctor and MD Andersonto thank for that.

During a routine checkup several years ago, my physician asked if my mother 

had ever been tested for hereditary cancer syndromes. She knew that my mom 

is a 20-year breast cancer survivor whose family has a long history of that 

disease. So I asked my mother about it. Mom said she hadn’t ever been 

screened, so a few months later, she underwent genetic testing. And to our 

surprise, she tested positive for the BRCA1 mutation, which increases a carrier’s 

risk for breast and ovarian cancer.