Notes from A Bystander to A Medical Revolution
Ashkenazi women in Israel will celebrate the recent decision of the Israel Ministry of Health; to provide genetic testing to them through it’s universal healthcare system. 16,000 will be tested this year with an expected 400 positive cases (1 in 40).
BRCA mutations are associated with a high risk of breast and ovarian cancer. It is estimated that 50,000 women in Israel carry the genetic mutation. The discovery of the mutation before cancer occurs means that risk reduction surgery can be performed. Also, those who have been identified as having the BRCA variant are actively monitored enabling diagnosis of cancer at an early stage, which has a proved survival benefit.
Initial resistance from religious leaders has now been overcome, with senior Rabbis supporting the procedure and stating that it is a “Biblical” obligation. The struggle to provide genetic screening to the 50,000 women has been hard-fought; the decision to make the test freely available is a triumph.
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