Increased Risk for Breast Cancer: What Would You Do?

Angelina Jolie announced to the world on Tuesday that she underwent a preventative double mastectomy after learning that she carries the BRCA1 gene, BRCA1, which increases her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.  

It's a decision that countless women also have to face: whether to bide their time or lose their breasts. 

Long Island, and the South Fork in particular, has a higher incidence of breast cancer. With the availability of the BRCA1 gene blood test, more and more local women may be facing the same decision Jolie faced. But, the test is not inexpensive — about $3,000 — so it may not be an option for everyone who would opt for it. 

Certainly, plenty of local women have had to make similar decisions after a cancer diagnosis. Like Cheryl Bennett, a 31-year-old who was diagnosed with Stage IIA-3, Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, a type of breast cancer that feeds off estrogen and was aggravated after her second pregnancy. Despite having family members with the disease, no one had tested positive for the BRCA gene.   ennett, who told her story to East Hampton Patch in October of 2012, opted for a double mastectomy, taking her age and chance for reoccurrence into account. 

To the women in the Town of East Hampton: Would you or have you gone for this test? Would you want to know? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below and let's get a conversation going.