"I always say I think my sister saved my life because if it weren't for her I wouldn't have been so vigilant about keeping an eye on my own health," says Colleen Carroll, cancer survivor.
Colleen Carroll's younger sister Kelly died at 33 from ovarian cancer.
Her death prompted Ellen to get checked for the disease and at first, she was cleared.
But then cancer began popping up in other family members...her cousin, then an uncle.
They sought genetic testing and counseling and it turns out the family suffered from Lynch Syndrome. "It involves colon cancer, uterine, and ovarian, and some skin cancers which my family has had as well," says Dr. Ellen Matloff, genetic counselor.
The test that cleared her was the wrong one, when given the genetic test..."At age 36 I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer," says Carroll.
"This genetic testing is really a relatively new field that has emerged and it allows us to determine why in a single family there may be multiple cases of cancer," says Dr. Ellen Matloff, genetic counselor.
Dr. Matloff says though the Carroll family lost loved ones in their diagnosis process, lives have been saved, like Ellen's nieces Erika and Jessica.
They are both carriers of the cancer gene, but they will now be regularly monitored to catch cancer if it develops. "There has absolutely never been more hope. We now have medications that are tailored to people who have a genetic mutation and we are very hopeful this new wave of personalized cancer care is going to revolutionize cancer treatment," says Matloff.
"There is a sense of relief for me why I got cancer and why everybody got cancer," says Carroll.
Doctor Matloff says consider seeking genetic counseling if there is a personal or family history of early onset cancer, or if there are multiple family members with the same types of cancers.
Early detection is key, so the sooner you seek testing the better your family's chances are.
