BRCA2 Breast Cancer: Jeffrey's Patient Story

What happened, in summary

Jeffrey Collins developed breast cancer despite initially being told that men did not get the disease. His concern was especially important because his mother had died from breast cancer and his sister carried a BRCA2 mutation and had also been treated for breast cancer. Specialists at Dana-Farber later identified his malignancy, and Jeffrey was found to carry a BRCA2 mutation as well. His daughter was 14 when he died at age 47. By then, oxygen tanks and wheelchairs had become part of family life, while his wife was also going through treatment for her own breast cancer. Years later, his daughter pursued genetic counseling and testing because of the family history. She did not inherit Jeffrey’s BRCA2 mutation, but the experience shaped her commitment to health advocacy and to making men aware that breast cancer can affect them too. Jeffrey’s story became a reminder to his family that breast symptoms in men deserve serious evaluation, particularly when hereditary cancer risk is present.