A few weeks ago my colleague reported on a new tool that allows women at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer to assess how certain preventive measures might benefit them. Today's San Francisco Chronicle includes a feature on the online tool and describes how one patient with the BRCA2 mutation turned to it when deciding whether to have her ovaries removed:
By using the tool, [Raychel] Kubby Adler learned her risk of developing ovarian cancer may remain relatively low whether she opts to have the surgery now at age 40 or waits until she's 45.
"It's enough to validate that I still want to be thinking about this, but maybe I can take a breather," Kubby Adler said. She said she would discuss the findings with her doctor.
...
That's exactly what [co-developer Allison Kurian, MD,] wants patients to do - to use it as a starting point for more discussion.
"It's great for patients to be able to look at this on their own," she said. "The best use of this is by patients in conjunction with their clinicians who can help them understand these numbers."
The tool can be accessed at the Stanford Cancer Institite's website.
Previously: BRCA patients use Stanford-developed online tool to better understand treatment options
