Nassau County Legislature Learns About Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome (HBOC)

June 8, 2010 - PRLog -- Following yesterday's legislative session, the Nassau County Legislature was treated to an impassioned lecture about Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome and testing of the BRCA gene. The goal was help save lives and improve outcomes.
Dr. Jonathan Herman spoke on the topic for a half hour and then along with his patient Lisa Reibman answered questions from the legislators.
Lisa, who she herself has HBOC, was recognized the immediate results of the effort as one legislator revealed her personal family history and that testing may be of significant benefit.
"This happens every time we educate", Lisa explained, "The stories exist and through education we can save lives. Here is another example. You could see how this impacted everyone in the room"

Background Material:

Tiffany Seely and Lauren Reiss, sisters, always worried about ovarian cancer. It had taken their mother, Shevi’s life at age 41.  Lisa Reibman was not concerned about breast cancer more than any other woman. That’s because Lisa thought her aunt’s breast cancer had nothing to do with her own health.   All three women learned they had Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome (HBOC) through a blood test called BRCA. The BRCA test identified the connection to their family history and saved their lives.

Now, the three women have joined their physician, Dr. Jonathan Herman in getting the word out Locally and across the country through a simple message – Let your family history work for you. It may just save your life.


The group members lecture all across the US. Tiffany and Dr. Herman appeared on the hit show “The Doctors” and the response was overwhelming. Most recently they filmed three public service announcements that have aired from Maine to Florida and Washington D.C. to Washington State. You may have seen them during “Regis and Kelly” or during “The View”. Maybe between innings of a Yankee or Mets game? They were shown on both the YES Network and SNY too.

How the Public Service Announcements came to be is a great story. “The outpouring of generosity on the part of individuals and companies needs to be highlighted”, says Lauren Reiss. “It all started with a simple concept Getting the word is out important. Getting the word out will save lives. It’s something they all wanted to do”. Dr. Herman adds, “My patient’s are definitely courageous. They are willing to share very private and personal medical information in order to help others. I am very proud of them”. Through Facebook Tiffany asked friends to help spread the word and save lives. A schoolmate from years ago, now a national sales manager for the Comcast Network, immediately recognized that there is a special opportunity and moved mountains to arrange airtime on her companies network. The Comcast network reaches 4.1 million homes in the northeast. Next, Dr. Herman spoke with each patients making sure they were comfortable with having their stories told in public. But how does a doctor and four patients make a commercial? They admit that had neither experience nor a clue. The answer… through the generosity of others, of course. Friends reached out to relatives and the winding road led to the award winning Macguffin films. Although they had never met Dr. Herman and his patients, an entire crew from Macguffin took the time and put in the effort spending a day at Silvercup Studios to get the job done. Their payment was an opportunity to help. All three public service announcements can be viewed on the website learnabouthboc.com.

“I was told something about a gene test about 8 years back. Every time I inquired about it to my gynecologists I got the run around. Either I was given a phone number to call to no avail or just a blank stare. There was even one doctor who told me she had no idea what I was talking about but would look into it for me. That never happened. I didn’t give up until I found the right person. Don’t let it slide!” says Tiffany.

Lisa’s message is different. She encourages discussing family history with your physician. “I, like most people, am not searching out bad news.  But thanks to my physician, I turned knowledge into a defensive weapon, and took proactive action that reduced my odds of ever having breast cancer and ovarian cancer - the silent killer. Was I happy when I learned I had the BRCA gene mutation? NO. But, with Dr. Herman's guidance, advice and insistence, I was in the fortunate position to take control of my life. That’s what we need from our healthcare providers! Tell your doctor what’s in your family history!”

In 2009 the American Cancer Society projects about 192,370 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer; after treatment, less than one-fourth of those women (about 40,610) will succumb to their disease.  Also in 2009, it is expected that about 21,550 women in the United States will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer; after treatment, just under three-fourths of those women (about 14,660) will succumb to their disease.

Most breast and ovarian cancers are not linked to known genetic factors—only about 7–10%. “We need to identify those 7–10% families.” adds Dr. Herman. A BRCA test can be done to find many of these families. The BRCA test can’t find all of them. BRCA only identifies about 80 of genetic breast and ovarian cancers carriers.

When a medical test is performed, it is understood that most testing will be negative. This blood test is no different. Remember, even if a patient is identified for testing, the result is still likely to be negative. For those who do test positive, the risk of developing breast cancer by the age of 70 can be as high as 87% (the usual quoted number for the “everywoman” is 7%). For those who test positive, the risk of ovarian cancer can be as high at 44% and there is one study reporting the risk as high as 60% (the usual rate is in the range of 1–2%). Ovarian cancers are one of the most deadly cancers.

Today, there are modalities like mammography, MRI, ultrasound, medications, and surgeries that can be employed to reduce the risks. Doctors can’t totally nullify the risk but they can reduce it by over 90 percent.

“In addition to the medicine and the statistics, there are social issues and psychological issues. There are implications for the entire family, too.” Dr. Herman will tell you, “I advocate education. Please educate yourself and those around you. You will never feel better than when you help others. Don’t forget the message. Learn from your family history! It may just save your life. Tell a friend too.” If you have breast or ovarian cancer in your family, want to learn more, or have and idea of how to help get the word out, please log onto Learnabouthboc.com.

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About Learnabouthboc.com and Learnabouthboc.com facebook group Dedicated to getting the word out about Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) syndrome and BRCA testing.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=57981589495