When Is It Time To Get Preventative Surgeries To Avoid Cancer?
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In 2013, Nicole Cundiff and Michelle Batschelet lost their mother too soon.
Colleen Drury passed away that year after a long battle with ovarian cancer. Now, her four daughters are honoring her legacy with a foundation aimed at educating women about preventing ovarian cancer.
And two of them, Nicole and Michelle, have taken that call to heart. Both recently had surgery to remove their fallopian tubes, a preventative measure that they hope more women will consider doing as well.
They both sat down with The Show to talk more about that decision — and the broader movement of women using things like genetic testing and preventative surgeries to hedge their risk of getting cancers like this.
They said when their mother started experiencing some discomfort in her stomach, she sought treatment from several doctors — but, none of them seemed alarmed by her symptoms.
Deep research continues and is progressing on whether it makes sense for people to have preventive surgeries — and in what circumstances.
Dr. Susan Domchek is involved in that area — specifically related to breast cancer — as the director of the Basser Center for BRCA at the University of Pennsylvania. She’s joined The Show to discuss it.
