Ingenious

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Ingenious: The Breast Cancer Gene

The Breast Cancer Gene

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Find out what you're made of, one gene at a time - with Dr Kat Arney

How does it feel to find out you carry a gene that can radically increase your risk of cancer? What can you do about it? And is a new generation of targeted drugs on the way?

For centuries doctors have noticed that some types of cancer seem to run in families, but it was only recently that we've started to pin down the genetic culprits. One of these hit the headlines in 2013 when actress Angelina Jolie announced she had a defect in the BRCA1 gene, which can significantly increase the chances of developing breast, ovarian or prostate cancer. Jolie had breast removal surgery in order to reduce her risk of getting ill. 

So how does it feel to find out you carry a faulty BRCA gene? What can you do about it? And could new research into these genes help lead to revolutionary new cancer treatments?

Dr Kat Arney speaks to Caitlin Brodnick, author of "Dangerous Boobies: Breaking Up with My Time-Bomb Breasts", and cancer researcher Dr Serena Nik-Zainal of Cambridge University.

Presenter: Kat Arney
Producer: Beth Sagar-Fenton

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