Any long term BRCA2 survivors without recurrence?

Cross your bridges as you come to them, Michelle. First, get confirmation of your BRCA2 status. The thing you need to remember is that even if you are BRCA positive, there is always hope. I made informed, thoughtful decisions about my health after my surprising BRCA1 positive test. Make sure that any information you read online is current. So many of the stats are dated, and might scare you silly.



My onco put my recurrence rate at 67%+. I do not know where she got that number, but it got my attention. I had a PBM and hysterectomy which lowers my risk to 5-10%. It was not a hard decision for me, but I respect that others have struggled with their decision.



My onco says that my prognosis is determined by my tumor size and number of nodes, not BRCA status. It took awhile for me to wrap my mind about the cards I was dealt in the genetic lottery of life. If you are positive, there is an active, informed Facebook page called the BRCA Sisterhood. Also, the website FORCE (www.force.org) is full of information for BRCA positive men and women.



Best wishes as you travel this long, winding road. PM if you ever need help.



dawn

I had IDC with lumpectomy march 2003 later diagnosed with BRAC2. Had my ovaries removed and bilateral mast with reconstruction. This march I will celebrate my 10 yr anniversary and still cancer free. I was 39 when diagnosed

Hi Nanka, Congrats!!! I am 37yo and am now faced with the decision of having my ovaries removed. Since you had it done at a young age, I am curious as to how you felt that it affected your life after the surgery.

I'm two years out from diagnosis and no signs cancer right now.  My doctor told me the BRCA gene just tells you the liklihood of getting breast cancer NOT whether it will come back or not.  That's determined by the type of cancer you have, how soon they caught it, the treatment you have, the size, grade, number of nodes, etc. Every cancer is different.

My doctor also told me that BRCA 2 is less likly to cause ovarian cancer than BRCA 1...and it occurs later in life (I'm currentlly 38).  He told me I could wait until my late forties before I had my ovaries removed.  Ovarian cancer tends to me more of a risk after age 60 in BRACA 2 women.  Good luck.

Hi Michelle. We are all different, of course, but here is my experience. I was diagnosed in1986 at age 37 with an aggressive cancer (ER/PR neg, but there was no HER test back then). I had 22 positive lymph nodes. It's been 26 years and no recurrence and no new cancer. I was tested in 2005 and came up positive for BRCA2. There are no guarantees, but all we can do is live our lives and be vigilant. I hope that, with time, you'll be able to relax and not worry so much.

Nanka-

Any updates on your treatment. Our situation sounds the same when looking at your dx, surgery, and chemo. I'm also BRCA2+ and after I finish chemo, my oncologist wants me to have a bilateral mx. I haven't decided on more surgery or radiation that typically follows lumpectomy?!?!?!

My mom and I are BRCA2. She had bc at 46 and again at 58 BUT she initially had only one breast removed, did tamoxifen and hysterecomty, and then 12 years later had a new primary in her other breast. She then had that breast removed and has been cancer free 7 more years. I have also been told BRCA has nothing to do with recurrence. I am currently going through treatment for bc now and my doc has been more concerned with my oncotype score than my BRCA status in terms of distant recurrence rates.

I found out in April 2013 at the age of 48 that I carry a deleterious BRCA2 mutation. I had myself tested because my parents died of breast and prostate cancer (both in their 50s), so I don’t know who I got it from. I am lucky in that I have not yet had cancer, and neither has my older brother.

Oddly - after describing my whole brca2+ family history above, my cousin who had BC along with the rest of us (her mother, my mother, etc.), same age, post menopausal, turned out to be brca2 negative. She got tested in Canada in the post-SCOTUS decision on Myriad world, so not sure if that means anything (false negative?). Just very odd. That leaves me as the 1 in 9 cousins in brca2 possibilities as the only one having BC and brca2 and I'm the youngest of the 9.

I am not doing radiation. I am kind of odd in that I did a prophylactic masteomy and then found breast cancer almost two years later.

hi all. I will be having a genetic consult next Tuesday. My mom had cancer "form there" as she says in her 70s. She's 91 now. My aunt had breast cancer in her 80s however we are descendants of Ashkenazi Jews. As I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer it was recommended that I explore this

So we shall see