Tested Positive for BRCA2 now what?

You can go to clinical trials.gov and punch in BRCA2 to see all the clinical trials. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=brca2&pg=1 . The genetic counselor could help you too. Did you see him or her after getting your positive result. Your insurance will pay for the appointment so you might as well take full advantage of it.

Pennsylvania University has Basser Center for BRCA - as far as I know they have the most interesting studies.

DK1: I'm so sorry that you are BRCA positive. I understand all too well that soul-crushing feeling. It was bad enough when I received my positive results and what that meant for me. And then my soul was crushed again when I realized what that means for my two teenage daughters and my son.

I'm only just seeing your thread now as I have been going through my own BRCA treatments.

Being positive for a genetic mutation is not a death sentence but an opportunity.

Now that you know, ask for treatment recommendations. Clinical trials aren't your only option. There are treatments available to you right now.

You have options: increased surveillance, chemo-prevention, and surgery (obviously after you finish your child-bearing years). Increased surveillance may mean alternating mammograms and MRIs, with back up ultrasounds and biopsy as needed.

I have had friends who have gotten breast cancer seemingly out of the blue. They didn't find their cancer until it was already stage III. You can be pro-active and beat cancer before it has a chance.

Wishing you all the best in your journey

Mominator

BRCA2+, wife, mom to 3 children of various special needs, musician, volunteer, 54 yrs young

Hi swanseagirl!

Knowledge is power! (Not knowing doesn't change the risk...testing just gives you access to tools to address the risk!)

Your genes are what they are from the time you were formed in your mother's womb. Taking a test to identify whether some of them contain specific risks changes nothing. And finding out if you have some particular risks (based on your genes) simply gives you the chance to address those risks face on. Finding out if you have those risks doesn't represent a death sentence!

And just think, if you're negative, so are your children. If you're positive, your children have the chance to be tested for whatever you were positive for, and then plan their own families around any positive results they have.

You should think of getting tested as a gift to your children.

HTH,

LisaAlissa

That helped a lot Lisa Alissa. Thanks!

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Hugs xx