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Topic: 70 year old with brac-2 positive?

Forum: High Risk for Breast Cancer — Due to family history, genetics, or other factors.

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Posted on: Sep 11, 2020 05:19PM

July152020 wrote:

Hi,

My Mom had breast cancer when she was 50 and has been cancer free for over 20 years. I recently got diagnosed with BC and found out I am brca-2 positive. I didn’t want to tell my mom about it because I don’t want her to worry but the doctors are telling me her chance of getting ovarian cancer is still high as a 71 year old and recommend that if she’s positive she should also remove her ovary and tubes, I am not sure if it’s even safe to get that surgery being 70+.

Anyone out there has similar experience?

Thanks

Brca-2+; Dx 7/15/2020 at age 43. er+80% pr+40% Her2-, IDC 1.7cm grade 3, DCIS 0.6cm grade3 , 2/15 nodes (0.6cm) started ac+t on 9/17/2020
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Sep 11, 2020 05:33PM Beaverntx wrote:

I had a total hysterectomy, including tubes and ovaries, at age 77 with no problems. Age is not really the decider but your mom's overall condition. My surgery was robot assisted which made it much easier. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

Diagnosed at age 77-- Oncotype 17, dealing with this bump in the road of life!!🎆 Dx 1/24/2018, IDC, Right, 2cm, Stage IB, Grade 3, 0/9 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2- (IHC) Dx 1/30/2018, DCIS, Right, <1cm, Stage 0 Surgery 1/30/2018 Lumpectomy: Right; Lymph node removal: Right, Sentinel Radiation Therapy 3/11/2018 Whole-breast: Breast Surgery 6/15/2018 Prophylactic ovary removal Hormonal Therapy 6/19/2018 Tamoxifen pills (Nolvadex, Apo-Tamox, Tamofen, Tamone)
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Sep 11, 2020 08:55PM 2019whatayear wrote:

I think you should definitely tell your mom. Either your mom or your dad passed the gene on . Not knowing doesn’t help. If your mom has the gene then she can decide if she wants the preventative surgery or not

IDC 2 cm micromets 1 node 8 more removed. BMX 6/24, A/C then Taxol 7/25, 25 rads 1/6/2020 No reconstruction BRCA2 - BSO 2/19 all clear/ starting AI on 3/1/2020
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Sep 11, 2020 09:54PM Beesie wrote:

It's your responsibility to tell your mother. This is health information that could affect her. If she'd found out that she was BRCA2 positive, you would have expected her to tell you, right? This is no different.

Does your mother have other health issues? Any 71 year old I know (I'm in my mid-60s so I know many of them) is sharp and fully in control of their own medical care. And thinking about it, every 71 year old I know would be able to handle the surgery - not as well as when they were 40, perhaps, but likely without any major problems. My own mother had breast cancer surgery (two surgeries, actually) at 80 and a hip replacement at 85. She breezed through all the surgeries. And she and my father made all their own medical decisions well into their mid 80s.

Is there a reason, other than age, why you think this will be difficult for your mother?

“No power so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.” Edmund Burke
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Sep 11, 2020 10:09PM July152020 wrote:

thanks everyone for your comments. The only reason I am worried about telling her is that she lives in China and medical systems works very different there. I recently found out that you need have a family member to donate blood before you get a surgery and they don’t have enough wheel chairs (only two for entire floor and there are a lot of people on one floor) in a whole floor for patients who just had surgeries and a family member had to get up at 5am so she can make sure she gets a chair otherwise the patient would have to walk to a different building to get some scan).

Anyways, I have decided I will tell her about the gene, I just need to come up with an excuse to ask her to get tested because I don’t want her to know I have cancer.

Thanks everyone!


Brca-2+; Dx 7/15/2020 at age 43. er+80% pr+40% Her2-, IDC 1.7cm grade 3, DCIS 0.6cm grade3 , 2/15 nodes (0.6cm) started ac+t on 9/17/2020
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Sep 12, 2020 01:57AM Cowgirl13 wrote:

As others have said, 71 isn't that old. I'm 74 and fortunately I am in good health.

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the Devil says: 'Oh crap! She's up! Dx 5/28/2009, IDC, Left, 2cm, Stage IIA, Grade 3, 0/4 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2+ Surgery 6/18/2009 Chemotherapy 8/3/2009 Carboplatin (Paraplatin), Taxotere (docetaxel) Radiation Therapy 12/21/2009 Hormonal Therapy 2/23/2010 Arimidex (anastrozole)
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Sep 12, 2020 08:02PM AliceBastable wrote:

My mom was 85 when she had breast cancer surgery. Dad was 88 when he had a kidney removed and an aneurysm repair at the same time. I had breast lumpectomy AND a kidney out at 68 (not much younger than your mother) and I could have done without a wheelchair when leaving the hospital, just slowly for the nephrectomy. I had a full hysterectomy at age 58 and I don't remember it hurting much, plus walking is the best thing for abdominal surgery to keep swelling from happening. Both the hysterectomy and nephrectomy had just one night hospital stays.

Endometrial cancer 2010, basal cell multiples, breast cancer 2018, kidney cancer 2018. Cancer's a bitch, but I'm a bigger one with more practice. Dx 5/2018, ILC/IDC, Left, 2cm, Stage IA, Grade 2, 1/1 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2- Surgery 7/11/2018 Lumpectomy: Left; Lymph node removal: Sentinel Surgery 8/8/2018 Radiation Therapy 10/29/2018 Whole-breast: Breast, Lymph nodes

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