Families with cancer history urged to get checked for BRCA gene

Families in Tyne and Wear with a history of cancer should get screened for a gene that could increase their cancer risk.

The BRCA gene can increase the risk of cancers, such as breast and ovarian cancer, by more than 50%.

Danielle Taylor went as far as to get her baby screened for the BRCA gene when she was pregnant, as her husband is a carrier.

Danielle said:

"Unfortunately, my sister-in-law died after four and a half years of fighting cancer so we saw her battle, saw the effect on the rest of family and we knew as parents we didn't want to experience that.

"We wanted to make sure we passed it on in the first place, so he's our miracle child - he's an amazing little boy but we know we're going to get to keep him for a lot longer than we might have."

Scientists from Newcastle University have developed a drug - rucaparib - to treat BRCA gene cancers - but it's still waiting for European approval.

Dr Yvette Drew, from the drug development tea, says getting rucaparib approved and more people screened could go a long way:

"When you get ovarian cancer, and you have a BRCA mutation, you do respond quite well.

"But the problem with ovarian cancer is that, unlike breast cancer, it's often detected very late - around three-quarters of all women present when the cancer has already spread."

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and Target Ovarian Cancer is urging people across the UK to save lives and spread the word about the symptoms of the disease.

Currently, two thirds of women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer once the cancer has spread, making it more difficult to treat.