Woman credits free BRCA gene study with catching her cancer risk early
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OMAHA, Neb. (Aging Untold) — A Nebraska nurse practitioner says a free genetic research study likely saved her life after she learned she carries a BRCA2 gene mutation, despite having little family history of cancer. Erin Thoman, a 34-year-old mother of four, said cancer was not something she had considered a personal risk. That changed after her sister, also a nurse, participated in the Genetic Insights Project at Nebraska Medicine. “She didn’t really think much of it and so offered to do it to kind of help out with the study,” Thoman said. “Then she found out that she had the BRCA2 gene mutation.” Thoman and her mother were then tested through the same study and both learned they also carry the mutation. “We definitely were all surprised,” Thoman said. Preventive surgeries ahead Everyone carries two types of BRCA genes. When functioning properly, they repair DNA, keep other genes healthy and prevent cancerous changes in cells, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. When a mutation dama