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Woman's Hour: My Best Day, Marina Litvinenko, Cancer testing

My Best Day, Marina Litvinenko, Cancer testing

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, My Best Day, Marina Litvinenko, Cancer testing

Marina Litvinenko on the play about her husband's death. Population-wide cancer testing.

The story behind another Best Day picture. Calls for population-wide cancer testing. Marina Litvinenko on the play about her husband's death. The woman who cracked the anxiety code

There's a call for population wide testing for the BRCA gene in the Jewish community, which is at greater risk carrying the gene mutation which is linked to ovarian, breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer. We're joined by Dr Ranjit Manchanda, Consutant Gynaecological Oncologist at Barts NHS Trust who's carried out new research funded by The Eve Appeal, and Caroline Presho who underwent preventative surgery after testing positive for a BRCA gene mutation.

Marina Litvinenko on the play about her husband Alexander's death in London and her subsequent fight for an public inquiry. We're also joined by Myanna Buring who takes Marina's part in the play A Very Expensive Poison at the Old Vic Theatre.

In the next in our series My Best Day, Alison Fletcher explains why this picture (above) means so much to her. 

In 1962 an Australian GP, Dr Claire Weekes published a book called Self Help for Your Nerves in which she said she could cure panic, depression, sorrow, agoraphobia and anxiety. The psychiatric establishment dismissed her as under-qualified and populist but her book sold well and is still in print over 50 years later. Judith Hoare, author of The Woman Who Cracked the Anxiety Code tells us about Claire Weekes' treatments, the reaction from her contemporaries and her legacy now.

Presented by Jenni Murray
Produced by Jane Thurlow

Interviewed guest: Ranjit Manchanda
Interviewed guest: Caroline Presho
Interviewed guest: Marina Litvinenko
Interviewed guest: Myanna Buring
Interviewed guest: Alison Fletcher
Interviewed guest: Judith Hoare

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