Scary stat: Ashkenazi Jewish women are 10 times more likely than the general population to get breast cancer, due to an increased likelihood of carrying BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations.
While mammography is common, genome testing is relatively rare, leaving many to rely on their family’s history to determine risk. That’s easy for most of us, but what if you have no information? That’s the case for many members of Australia’s Jewish community who are the descendants of Holocaust survivors.
I found the above article both intriguing and heartbreaking. Isn’t it incredible how the effects of the Holocaust seem to never cease? Even now, 71 years later, so many people are still suffering and in ways that may not be obvious.
Australia’s considering creating a community program to make genetic testing much more widespread. I think this is wonderful and hope more countries do the same. There is no such thing as too much information when it comes to saving lives!
