(BPT) - 1. “Previvor” means a “survivor of a predisposition to cancer.” Previvors are people who have an elevated risk, but who have never been diagnosed with cancer.
The term includes people with an inherited mutation that increases their cancer risk, a family history of cancer or some other factor that increases risk. Like cancer survivors, previvors must navigate many medical decisions. They benefit from support and resources to help them stay as healthy as possible.
The nonprofit hereditary cancer organization Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE) coined the term in 2000 in response to a challenge by a FORCE member who posted, "I need a label!" 2. Genetic testing can help people understand their cancer risk. The most well-known genes linked to cancer are BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Mutations in these genes increase the risk for breast, fallopian tube, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancer. People of any race or ethnicity can have one of these inherited mutations. About one out of every 400 people has a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.
These mutations are more prevalent in certain groups. For example, about one in 40 people of Eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jewish ancestry has a mutation. Dozens of other genes are linked to an increased risk for cancer.
Lynch syndrome, although less well known than BRCA1 and BRCA2, is more common. About one out of every 280 people has a Lynch syndrome mutation. Lynch syndrome is caused by a mutation in one of five genes (EPCAM, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6.
