Worried your mother left you a legacy of breast cancer? Get “The Lowdown on High-Risk Breast Health” at an educational event being presented at 5:30 p.m., Oct. 13, at Beaufort Memorial Harrison Peeples Health Care Center.
BMH Breast Program Leader Dr. Perry Burrus will discuss risk factors that could increase your chances of developing breast cancer. He’ll be joined by breast nurse navigator Amy Hane, who will talk about genetic testing.
Beaufort Memorial has a number of tools and programs to help women identify their risk of developing breast cancer, including a free online risk assessment available at www.bmhsc.org. Genetic testing is only recommended for women who are likely to carry BRCA1, a gene mutation that sharply increases your chances of developing breast and ovarian cancers.
"An alarming number of women with a family history of breast cancer don’t know they are predisposed to the disease,” said Burrus, a board-certified general surgeon with Beaufort Memorial Surgical Specialists. “Those that do may not realize there are things they can do to reduce their risk.”
High-risk patients should be monitored more closely than the general population to try to catch cancer at an early stage when it’s easier to treat. That could involve more frequent mammograms and clinical breast exams, as well as MRIs.
“The Lowdown on High Risk Breast Health” is free and open to the public, but registration is required to attend the program. To reserve your seat, call 1-888-522-5585.