My BRCA Journey

By Sara Schub, who is 45 years old and currently living in New York City. She has a Master’s degree in Public Health from Columbia University and works in healthcare administration. She also counsels women at risk of HBOC and volunteers for various health-related charities.

In early 2011, at a routine appointment with Dr. Monica Prasad, she asked me how I was doing. I took that as an opportunity to tell her what was weighing heavily on my mind – my mother and my cousin were both recently diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. She immediately inquired about my family history of cancer and for the first time I realized how prevalent cancer was in my family. Dr. Prasad suggested I go for genetic testing because I might be at high risk of developing the disease, so I went to a genetic counselor at Mount Sinai. I told her what I knew about my family history, she drew my genetic family tree, enumerated the various genetic mutations that were possible, and recommended genetic testing. (more…)

Early Cancer Detection Takes Center Stage

Tony-nominated actress Valisia LeKae used her voice to sing hit songs from the 1960s, starring as Diana Ross in “Motown: The Musical” on Broadway. Now, after receiving a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and stepping down from her leading role to receive treatment at The Mount Sinai Hospital, Ms. LeKae is using her voice to speak about the importance of early cancer detection.

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Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is a heterogeneous and rapidly progressive disease of low prevalence and poor survival. In the United States the number of deaths attributed to ovarian cancer approximates that of all other gynecologic malignancies combined.  Unfortunately, the majority (75%) of women diagnosed with ovarian carcinoma continue to have advanced stage disease (Stage III/ IV), with widespread metastases throughout the peritoneal cavity, lymph nodes, liver or lungs. Presently less than 20% of women with ovarian cancers are detected when the cancer is still confined to the ovary (Stage I).

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