Montgomery County resident Jessica Getson was able to discover her breast cancer early thanks to genetic testing, write Stephanie Stahl and Adam Fox for CBS News Philadelphia.
“I got genetic testing on a whim,” said Getson. “But I’ve always been this ‘give me knowledge, give me power’ person.”
Because of her Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, Getson was aware of her higher risk for breast cancer, but she never expected the test result to be positive. When the genetic test revealed she carried the genes linked to an increased risk, she underwent further testing. An MRI soon confirmed early-stage breast cancer.
“So I had a double mastectomy in April of 2024,” she said.
Rachael Brandt, certified genetic counselor and head of Main Line Health’s genetics and risk assessment program, highlighted how far genetic testing has come and how vital it has become in early detection and prevention for people with risk factors such as a family history of the disease.
“The technology that we have has also improved,” she said. “So, someone who tested negative for BRCA1 or BRCA2 may test positive for either of those genes today based on new methods.”
Read more about genetic testing that looks for potential cancer at CBS News Philadelphia.
