How many of you have family history?

I actually had a friend say to me, "Wow, I'm glad I don't have to worry about breast cancer, because it's not in my family." I had to tell her, SURPRISE!!!! Breast cancer doesn't care if it's already in your family.

My mother had breast cancer at the age of 45, but as far as I can tell it was a different type from mine, and no one else that I know of in the immediate family had BC. One cousin (out of many) had it, but I don't think that amounts to a family history.                             

No family history here either....I'm the first and so far the only one (hopefully it will stay that way) in my family to have BC....my paternal gm had some sort of stomach cancer and died in the 1950's at a young age....but no other cancer history of any type....tested negative for brca 1 and 2.

I was diagnosed with LCIS nearly 7 years ago (and am doing well); my mom had ILC many years ago--is now a survivor of nearly 24 years without a recurrence !!!!!!!

anne

My paternal gmother had bc postmenopausally-died in her 80's of something else. Her daughter, my aunt, died last year of sarcoma (cancer in the lining of organs). A distant cousin on my mother's side died of bc at a fairly young age. I also found out recently that my dad's grandmother, had bc in her late 30's (this would be in the 1930's) and had a mastectomy and radiation. She died from it 14 years later at the age of 50.

So does this constitute a family history for me? I don't think the relatives are close enough-and my grandmother's cancer was postmenopausal-different than I, who was diagnosed at 43.

I haven't done any genetic testing... 

Maternal grandmother died of colon cancer
Paternal grandmother died of lymphoma
Uncle (dads brother) had stomach cancer & beat it

No one to our knowledge had had breast or ovarian cancer. I'm the first with breast.
I tested negative for BRCA

No Family History...just me.  My girls are really nervous...I keep telling them - this must be environmental and my immune system packing it in for some reason.  They are worried I am the beginning of the family history....I really hope not.

Alice 

My father had 2 aunts, one on his mom's side and one on his dad's side,both died of b.c. in their 40's following mastectomies.  One of those aunts had 2 daughters, each got b.c.in their 60's but survived. My dad was an only child, so we will never know if he might have had a sister who got it so I got tested and was negative for brca 1 or 2. I would like to pursure Bart testing. This goes beyond BRCA. But the day I was diagnosed with b.c. 2 years ago, my doctors told me to stop taking the birth control pill. When I asked why,they told me it was because it can cause b.c. Sure enough,I went home that night and opened up that little folded brochure in the pill packet and it was there in black and white.   I had been on them 15 years at that point. Wished I would have known 15 years ago what I know now. Of course ,every person who smokes doesn't get lung cancer, but ask every lung cancer patient if they smoked....the numbers are shockingly high....just as wth b.c. The numbers are too coincidental if you ask me.

My mother was identified with breast cancer at 80. Her cancer was not the same kind as mine, she was er/pr- and HER+. She is the only family member to have cancer I know of.

Karen

my mom died of ovarian cancer with 51 years.

my sister hat bc too.

My Grandmother had BC but postmenapausal

My mother died of BC at age 44

My first cousin got it at about 35, she is BRCA2+

I got it at 44. I am BRCA-. My doctors are perplexed. They are sure its hereditary and its just something we can't test for yet.

I have two sisters and a 2 year old girl. I hope they know more before its a problem for them.

Diagnosed with PILC by biopsy Nov 1. No history of any kind of BC on either side of the family. My father is one of 10 children.Hugs to all, Elle

I too was surprised at the 1 in 8 statistic since being diagnosed!

Though I wasn't necessarily "shocked/surprised" that I got breast cancer probably due to the fact that you hear about it SO much in the media, celebrities, October, people you know, etc.   Plus my sister had ovarian cancer .....at age 30! ... she was single at the time with no kids.  She elected to have the cancerous ovary removed and declined chemo or radiation ~ against the advice of some oncologists.  (It was a more rare non-invasive tumor and there wasn't a significant amount of data on her type of tumor to justify chemo in my sister's mind).  That was 15 years ago ~ she has had no recurrence and she has since gotten married and has since given birth to three lovely children thanks to her remaining ovary!  She does get regular mammograms.

Our older sister is 47 and has NEVER had a mammogram!   She has one scheduled for next week.

 I tested for BRCA ...was negative on BRCA1 ..but had a "abnormality of uncertain significance" on BRCA2.   We are going through the process to see if they will offer additional testing for the rest of my family at no/reduced cost.  When I'm done taking care of the "top half"... I'll start researching and talking to my oncologist/genetic counselor about my "bottom half" and see whether or not having my ovaries removed is something I would pursue.  From what I've read so far... BRCA2 doesn't have as high a correlation with ovarian cancer as BRCA1 does?

Only other ones I know are.... paternal grandfather died of lung cancer, maternal grandfather died of colon cancer.....and just found out my half brother (on dad's side) was treated for testicular cancer in his early 20's! 

My mother died last year of bladder cancer and her mother died of stomach cancer but I know of no breast cancer in my family.

 I was looking at a map of cancer clusters at the National Cancer Institute site tonight and see that I live in an area of relatively high occurance and mortality for breast cancer.

my family history buzzes with this stupid disease:

mother - dx'd at 49, died at 59;

her sister - dx'd at 42, died at 44;

another sister - dx'd at 62, surviving today;

another sister - dx'd at 76 with ovarian cancer.

maternal great grandmother - died from breast cancer - ? age 55?

I have the BRCA 2 gene; my mother and her younger sister were never tested, a 3rd aunt doesn't have it, and the other 2 haven't bothered.

I was dx'd a week before my 40th birthday. three of my cousins - sons and daughter to the aunt who died at 44 - are all BRCA +.

My daughter is 12, my son, 9. This year my husband and I are visiting Yale Genetics to discuss the nuances of testing them (can we do it without their consent? etc).

I pray they don't have this gene.