When a breast cancer diagnosis knocked me down, a network of Jewish women lifted me up
I was stunned by the number of friends my age who sent me messages to tell me they had recently gone through the same thing
Breast Cancer
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Opinion Ashkenazi Jewish women like me have a higher risk of breast cancer. I didn’t know this until my own diagnosis
Breast cancer can strike any woman at any time, yet few young women are fully aware of the potential deadly threat they face. For Ashkenazi Jews like myself, this disease looms as an even larger threat compared to most women. A mutation in the BRCA gene is the most common cause of hereditary breast cancer….
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Fast Forward US Task Force: Ashkenazi Jewish Women Should Test For Breast Cancer Genes
(JTA) — Ashkenazi Jewish women should be screened for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes linked to breast cancer. That’s the recommendation by a U.S. task force announced in an editorial this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. One in 40 Ashkenazi Jews have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, compared with one in…
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Fast Forward 23andMe Risk Test Misses Almost 90 Percent of BRCA Mutation Carriers
Update, 9:20 a.m.: This story has been updated with 23andMe’s response. A recent study found that 23andMe’s direct-to-consumer BRCA test misses almost 90% of mutation carriers, GenomeWeb reported. Researchers at Invitae, a genetic information company, led the study into 23andMe’s test, which looks for three common branches in the cancer-causing BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Mutations…
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Life Orthodox Scientist Develops ‘MonitHer’ To Detect Breast Cancer At Home
A handheld ultrasound is being developed so that women can monitor their own breasts at home, allowing for a speedier detection of breast cancer. The brains behind the product, Orthodox Jew Yehudit Abrams, is a former biomedical scientist at NASA, but has changed gears in her career to focus on the software of this product,…
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Life Israeli Scientists Uncover Therapy That Converts Cancer Cells Into Normal Ones
Cancer cells, by definition, are abnormal cells that divide with abandon and have the potential to spread throughout and wreak havoc on your vital organs and tissues. But what if you could tell those same troublesome cells to stop misbehaving? Israeli scientists think they’ve found a way to do just that. A group of researchers…
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The Schmooze Julia Louis-Dreyfus Is Recovering Well After Finishing Chemo
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the once and future duchess of Jewish diaspora culture, was seen out today for the first time since finishing her chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. The actress was diagnosed in September, and spoke publicly and poignantly about the prevalence of breast cancer diagnoses — using it as an opportunity to highlight the need…
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Fast Forward Beyond BRCA, Study Reveals 72 Mutations That May Lead To Breast Cancer
A study combining data from over 300 institutions around the world has found 72 new genetic mutations that may lead to the development of breast cancer, CNN reported. Seven of the mutations found lead to a type of breast cancer that doesn’t respond to traditional hormonal therapies, like tamoxifen. The total known number of mutations…
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