Ashkenazi Jewish Women and Ovarian Cancer
In a study published Monday, researchers at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto found that about one per cent of Jewish women in Ontario carry mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes,… a genetic mutation that dramatically raises their risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancer.
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Women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent (Jews of Eastern European origin) have a four to five times higher risk of carrying a BRCA mutation than the general population – and carriers have an 80 per cent chance of developing breast cancer and a 20 to 40 per cent chance of ovarian cancer in their lifetime.
Currently, women are only eligible for genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 in Ontario if they have been referred by a physician due to a strong family history of the disease or have already been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer. Most other provinces have similar criteria…
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