Mom with Ovarian cancer, me with Breast cancer, is there a link?

kkmom,

There well may be undiscovered genetic mutations out there, but the the problem is, they’re undiscovered! When I was first dx’ed they were only testing for BRCA 1 & 2, since then they’re somewhere in the 30 range for detectable mutations (Ambry panel). My paternal grandmother had metastatic bc, my sister had a uterine sarcoma, my mother had uterine cancer and I belong to an ethnic group more likely to have BRCA genes than most. My genetic tests? All negative. So, like you, while there may be a genetic connection in my family it has yet to be discovered.

I don’t know anything about voluntary hysterectomies, which is what you’re thinking about as you have no current disease nor genetically linked risks. Would a doctor perform surgery for no other reason than peace of mind? What risks are associated with the surgery? Will insurance cover it if there is no medical reason to have the surgery? I have no answers but I think you need to ask more questions before you sign up for such a surgery.

I understand your concerns and share some of them but my personal choice (I have not had a hysterectomy) is not to do anything more than is medically necessary unless there is a compelling reason to do so. I wish you well.

By the time I had breast cancer and genetic testing (through a genetics counselor at the hospital) at age 68, my parents and all my older relatives were gone. I think the test was pretty limited to what my insurance would pay, and it showed no genetic connection. Mom had breast cancer at 88 (recovered). One of my paternal aunts died from breast cancer at 67. My maternal grandmother had uterine cancer and died from it at age 40. I had endometrial/uterine cancer at 58. My Dad had kidney cancer at 89 (recovered) and I had kidney cancer at 68. I'd like to know more but at my age (70) I'm not sure it's all that relevant. I have an older sister, and she and her daughter have done more comprehensive D-I-Y testing (niece is a research biologist in a genetics-adjacent field), but they haven't asked me to do the same testing, not did they seem interested in my results.

My hysterectomy was laparoscopic, and the only problem I had was swelly-belly. If I'd walked a lot, it probably wouldn't have happened, but I was in need of a hip replacement and could barely hobble.

Kksmom3, my breast surgeon recommended ovary removal even though I was BRCA negative and my insurance had no problem with it. I did have family history with breast cancer but not with ovarian cancer. Her reasoning was that ovarian cancer is more difficult to detect. With your mother’s diagnosis at 68, I would definitely want to have my ovaries removed if I were you.