BRCA1 Breast Cancer: Janice's Patient Story
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Biomarkers
- BRCA1 mutation
- Sex
- female
- Treatment
- surgery
Treatment course, step by step
- Over 21 years, she went through 2 rounds of breast cancer treatment.
- She underwent a bilateral mastectomy.
What happened, in summary
Janice Dolnick had already been through a long breast cancer journey before she came to Dana-Farber in 2018. Over the previous 21 years, she had undergone 2 rounds of breast cancer treatment and a bilateral mastectomy. Genetic testing had shown that she carried a BRCA1 mutation, which also shaped decisions about cancer prevention and surveillance. She had both ovaries removed because of the increased ovarian cancer risk in her family. In 2018, Janice was diagnosed with a separate primary peritoneal cancer, which became the focus of her later treatment. When a separate primary peritoneal cancer was found in 2018, her care shifted to that disease while her earlier breast cancer history remained part of her long-term cancer experience.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Dana-Farber. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer