When I was diagnosed with breast cancer and was asked do you have any relatives with breast cancer I said no because I didn’t. Since then within the space of two years I have had first cousins diagnosed with breast cancer and this wek my 85 year old mother has been diagnosed.
How unusual is it for an 85 year old to be diagnosed with BC?
I am now very concerned for my 20 year old daughter.
I have been referred to the family history clinic - can anyone tell me what happens and will my daughter be offered checks?
I have moved your post to the family history forum where more people with similar queries will read it, I hope you don’t mind. You may find it useful to read the Breast Cancer Care factsheet on familial breast cancer as it includes information and advice about screening when there is a family history:
You can read this on-line by using the following link :-
At the family history clinic you will see a geneticist who will look at your family history and draw up a tree of those you have or had different types of cancers. From that your risk of having a BRCA mutation will be assessed and if the geneticist thinks you may have a mutation you will be offered testing, this is a simple blood test. Depending on the clinic results can take months to come back. If you do have a BRCA mutation then you carry a life time risk of breast cancer so its not that unusual for someone in their 80’s to be diagnosed. You can prepare for the appt by trying to find out as much about your family history as possible, ie who had cancer, what type and at what age. Cancers to look out for are breast, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate.