A relatively recent discipline. The first consultations Oncogenetics, which allows us to study our genetic predisposition to cancer, was created in France in 1988. It refers to patients affected by one or more cancers at a very young age, but especially to people with a family history.
This is the case of Gwenaëlle. Her mother and her grandmother died of ovarian cancer. After losing her maternal figures in six years, Gwenaëlle also watches as her aunt suffers from cancer. Following the advice of her doctor, she performed genetic testing and discovered that she was also a carrier of the gene.
“I took the test at the beginning of 2008 and two months later I found out that I was also a carrier of the mutation,” the young woman told BFMTV.
This mutation is that of the BRCA1 gene, whose alteration does not automatically lead to the appearance of cancer, but it does greatly increase the risk of developing it.
Thanks to the advent of DNA sequencing, it is now possible to examine these genes to establish possible hereditary alterations.
A genetic disease
According to the site Oncongéntique.fr, about 5% of cancers are related to the existence of a genetic alteration that can be transmitted in families from generation to generation. With this alteration, the risk of suffering from breast cancer increases from 10% in the general population to 65% for people carrying the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, and from 1% to 40% for ovarian cancer.
If after her examination, Gwenaëlle has been treated, she makes the decision to remove her ovaries and tubes preventively.
“35 years old, I was ready, we were happy with our two children, I told myself, come on, it’s time, it’s not worth risking anything. I had seen my mother very sick, in fourteen months she left, I told myself: No I want that for my kids, so let’s go,” he says.
At 44 years old, Gwenaëlle continues to be monitored every year for breast cancer screening. Her 17-year-old daughter, for her part, will be able to undergo the genetic test, recommended from the age of 20.
Rising projections
Every year between 5 and 10% of breast cancers are detected against a background of genetic predisposition. More than 4,000 tests are performed at the Curie Institute alone.
Today, oncogenetic research has already identified more than 80 genetic predisposition genes for certain types of cancer. This is particularly the case with certain forms of breast or colon cancer in adults or retinal tumors in children. Currently, more than 200 oncogenetics professionals collaborate in the Genetics and Cancer Group (GGC).
Source: BFM TV
