ONE Bendigo woman is urging others to embrace genetic testing as a way of helping to understand the risks and treatment options of ovarian cancer.<\/p>\n
In 2014, when she was 48, Christine Christie discovered her family has a history of the BRCA1 gene mutation that leads to a higher risk of ovarian and breast cancer.<\/p>\n
She said when she found out, she moved quickly to undergo preventative surgeries, and got involved with leading women\u2019s cancer organisation Pink Hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to have people you can talk to, that can help educate and provide resources for women, so we get a better understanding of the issues we have to deal with,\u201d Ms Christie said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I found out I did have a higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer, it gave me tools and knowledge to be able to move forward and put in place strategies to deal with these risks. Not only for me but for my genetic relatives as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
This week, Pink Hope launched its Ovarian Cancer: Testing Times campaign, which encourages genetic testing to discover any gene mutations and tumour testing for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer to understand what treatment options are available.<\/p>\n