(LEX 18) — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and a central Kentucky mother and daughter are sharing their story to help others.
Elizabeth and Trudy Robards are both breast cancer survivors who are making it their mission to empower other Kentuckians by educating them about life-saving genetic testing.
"If our story could help another family, more women, that's time well spent," said Trudy.
Their story begins with 70-year-old Trudy's second breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year. She was first diagnosed with the disease in her thirties, when her daughters were young.
More than three decades after Trudy's initial battle with cancer, Elizabeth never imagined she'd receive the same news.
"If she hadn't been diagnosed, I probably wouldn't have been diagnosed until my 40's and facing a whole different outcome," Elizabeth told LEX 18.
She says her mom's diagnosis and subsequent genetic test results are the reasons she opted for a mammogram in the first place, at just 35 years old.
"The gene mutation is PTEN," said Trudy. "And it's a rare mutation. She had it, my older daughter did not have it."
According to breastcancer.org, an abnormal PTEN gene causes Cowden syndrome. The rare disorder means people have a higher risk of both benign and cancerous breast tumors. It's estimated women with a PTEN mutation have a lifetime breast cancer risk of 25 to 50%. The average age at diagnosis is 38 to 50 years.
Because of her quick action, doctors at CHI Saint Joseph Health found Elizabeth's breast cancer in its earliest stages. She didn't need chemotherapy or radiation, but surgery.
She credits early detection with saving her life.
"It was overwhelming and I'm grateful, too," she said.
Genetic testing has greatly improved in the last decade, according to oncology genetic counselor Elizabeth Hays.
"That is our goal, with this type of testing, to find cancer or pre-cancerous lesions at very early stages," she said.
For example, when Trudy first had genetic testing done in 2015, she tested negative for BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, the most well-known genes linked to breast cancer. She says she didn't realize the testing had improved so much, allowing doctors to find her PTEN mutation.
"Advocating for yourself is a good thing to do, and to not be afraid to do the test," she said.
"We know the sooner we catch them, the earlier the stage, the easier they are to treat, and the more effective that treatments are," added Hays.
After the discovery of their own hidden risk, Elizabeth and Trudy say they're grateful for the chance to share their story with others.
According to Hays, many patients worry about the cost of genetic testing, but she says more insurers are covering the testing as the criteria have broadened.
She says some of the people who should consider genetic testing are those with a family history of cancer at a young age (for example, breast or colon cancer before 50) or a family history of the same type of cancer.
