How genetic testing saved the lives of a daughter and her mother
COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — It's a simple test that could empower you to make decisions about your health.
Genetic testing is a process that can reveal changes or mutations in your genes, providing insight into predicting or diagnosing cancers.
The results for one central Ohio woman revealed stage 1 ovarian cancer, but that was after a preventative hysterectomy was done after genetic testing revealed she was a carrier of a gene that increased her chances of breast and ovarian cancer.
"I had some pain on my right abdominal and that's what eventually led to the diagnosis," Brooke Lane said.
That was in 2018. Lane explains the pain was on and off at first, but it eventually got to a point where she was going to urgent care and the emergency room to find out what was going on.
The diagnosis she would later receive at the Ohio State University James Cancer Center was stage 3 ovarian cancer. Her chemotherapy treatments began almost immediately and as she approached the end of the treatment, her doctor recommended genetic testing for her and her family members.
The physician explained the testing was a way to see if there were any specific genes fueling her disease.
Both Lane and her mother Sharon Shealy tested positive for the BCRA1 gene. According to the Centers for Disease Control, mutations in the gene can increase the chances of both ovarian and breast cancer.
Shealy previously had a preventative hysterectomy, a procedure that revealed she had cancer cells in her fallopian tubes.
"Usually, when you get ovarian cancer, you are 63," Shealy said. "I was 63, so basically she saved my life."
Leigha Senter, a genetic counselor at the James, worked with both women to understand the results of their testing and explains the simple test – done by saliva or blood – can potentially save lives.
"When we received her results, the next important action item was to inform all of her family members about her test results," Senter said. "It's that critical step to allow family members to really be in a powerful position to either prevent cancer altogether or detect it very early like we saw in this family."
Senter said questions around the cost of genetic testing are common, saying the testing is nearly always covered by insurance, especially for patients with cancer.
"My mother passed from cancer, so I knew it was a very hard disease," Shealy said. "The more you know about it, the earlier you get tested, the better things go."
