Hi Nancy123,

First, and foremost, it's so great that you are advocating for your friend. I need to get you some information on women who are more prone to breast cancer because of family history. There is a lot of research on this topic. Yet, there are many more women that develop breast cancer that have no family history at all.

I'm sure given the family history, she must be terrified. That's why we need to help her sort this out. Sooner, then later. There's a genetic test that she can have done. It's called the Braca gene test. Let's get her some information on the test. We will also want to know how accurate the test is. And whether or not she should just take the test with out revealing her identity and just pay for it herself, if she can.

Also, if she lives in Arizona, one of the top breast surgeons is in, Phoenix. His name is Dr. Larry Zannis. He would be a great doctor for her to speak with. He comes with the highest recommendations. The women that I have sent to him absolutely, love him. He will spend a lot of time explaining everything you should know. He is one of the top..what EmpowHer would call a "Rock Star" Doc.

Then, there is always T-Gen. These female research/scientists are doing amazing research in the breast cancer area. I will get you the top researchers name on Monday, when I'm back in the office. I am so impressed with what they are doing.

I will email one Dr. Jay Harness and ask him what he thinks should be her first steps.

Also, I would recommend her checking with the U of A Cancer Institute. Dr. Dave Alberts. I believe he sees patients up here at Scottsdale North on Shea. He is one of the best. He is so kind and caring and he is very, very well respected as being one of the premiere breast cancer docs in the country.

This will give you a good starting point for your friend.

I'm not a doctor, Nancy. And I cannot endorse any doctor. We are just trying to help women find the best resources available to them, in their area.

I'll be back in touch.

Best in health,

Michelle

As well as Michelle's help, I would advocate the simple monthly self-breast exams, an annual breast exam by a trained professional, and mammography or ultrasound (or both).

A lot of breast cancer is first detected by the woman herself during a self breast exam. Monthly self breast exams are a woman's first line of defense.

Hi Nancy,

Here are some more sites that have information on the genetic testing. There are pros and cons to this test. It would be good for her to read everything she can.

I will keep looking for more information and resources.

BRCA Mutations Don't Raise Breast Cancer Risk Equally
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/...

Genetic Testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2: It's Your Choice
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/facts...

Preventive Surgery Can Reduce Cancer Risk in Women with BRCA Gene Mutations
http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/res...

Cancer Quest
http://www.cancerquest.org/index.cfm?pag...

BRCA: What We Now Know
http://www.cap.org/apps/cap.portal?_nfpb=true&cntvwrPtlt_actionOverride=%2Fportlets%2FcontentViewer%2Fshow&_windowLabel=cntvwrPtlt&cntvwrPtlt{actionForm.contentReference}=cap_today%2Ffeature_stories%2F0906BRCA.html&_state=maximized&_pageLabel=cntvwr

Limited Family Structure and BRCA Gene Mutation Status in Single Cases of Breast Cancer
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/ful...

Breast/Ovarian Cancer: BRCA1 & BRCA2
http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/8623.cfm

Genetic risk assessment and BRCA mutation testing for breast cancer
http://guidelines.gov/summary/summary.as...

When is BRCA Genetic Testing for Breast and Ovarian Cancer Appropriate?
http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/gtesting/pub...

We will continue to post breast cancer information on our site and will be adding it to the "Conditions" section soon.

Please let me know if you have any questions on any of the information. I'd be happy to help.

Warmest regards,

Michelle

Here's another great story I just found on the site.

http://empowher.com/community/blog/alysi...