Oneinforty Hosts Symposium About High Risk of Hereditary Cancer Among Jews On Wednesday, May 23 at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley

WELLESLEY, Mass., May 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Lauren Corduck is a 47-year old ovarian cancer patient. She is BRCA positive. She is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. She lost her grandmother to breast cancer and inherited a BRCA gene mutation from her father. Last year, Lauren started Oneinforty, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness of the one-in-forty risk to Ashkenazi Jews of inheriting BRCA gene mutations and provides the medical information and emotional support individuals and families need to effectively manage their cancer risk.

In just one year, the organization has assembled a board of directors and a medical advisory board consisting of oncology, mental health, genetic counseling, primary care medicine and clinical research experts, built a cadre of Ambassadors—many of whom are BRCA-positive—and informed thousands of people around the world about Ashkenazi Jews' heightened risk of inheriting a BRCA gene mutation.

To further the mission, Oneinforty will host a symposium on Wednesday evening, May 23 starting at 7:00 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by and hosted at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley. This event is free of charge and open to all. Register here: http://oneinforty.org/events/

"Knowledge is Empowering: Understanding the Jewish-Cancer Connection" Symposium will be moderated by Lauren. Panelists will discuss BRCA gene mutation screening, genetic counseling, managing cancer risk and resources available for individuals and their families who are at high risk of inheriting a BRCA gene mutation. The panel speakers include:  

• Dr. Whitfield B. Growdon, Center for Gynecologic Cancer, Massachusetts General Hospital
• Dr. Amy H. Comander, Medical Director, Auerbach Breast Center, Newton-Wellesley Hospital
• Kimberly DeLeonardis, MS, CGC, Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital
• Camila Gabriel, MS, Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Debbi Shamon, LICSW, in private practice in Boston
• Jessica Axel, a young, Jewish BRCA-positive previvor
• Ken Deutsch, a Jewish BRCA-positive cancer survivor

The risk among the general public of having a BRCA gene mutation is approximately one in 400. For those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, the average risk is ten times higher or one in 40. Having a BRCA gene mutation puts one at significantly higher risk of developing hereditary breast, ovarian and prostate cancer.

Lauren founded Oneinforty because she, like most people, was unaware of this risk. Shortly after learning she is BRCA-positive, she received a diagnosis of advanced, metastatic ovarian cancer. Lauren has received two courses of chemotherapy, had surgery to remove her reproductive system and other tissue last spring and is now in remission. In June she will begin taking a PARP inhibitor, a promising class of drugs recently approved by the FDA, to stave off recurrent ovarian cancer. As Lauren explains, "This did not need to happen to me and doesn't need to happen to anyone else. Most people who are BRCA-positive don't know that they inherited a potentially lethal gene mutation and that each of their children—sons and daughters alike—have a fifty percent chance of inheriting their gene mutation. Tragically, most people who find out they are BRCA-positive do so after being diagnosed with cancer or learning of a family member's cancer diagnosis. We want people who are BRCA-positive to find that out before cancer strikes. If you are BRCA-positive, there are several things you can do to manage your cancer risk including enhanced screening, chemoprevention and risk-reducing surgery. And, more therapies such as vaccines are currently being tested in clinical trials."

About Oneinforty

Founded in 2017 by Lauren Corduck, a BRCA-positive ovarian cancer patient, Oneinforty is a nonprofit organization that raises awareness of the one-in-forty risk to Ashkenazi Jews of inheriting cancer-causing BRCA gene mutations and provides the support individuals and families need to effectively manage their cancer risk. Learn more at www.oneinforty.org.

Media Contact:

Helen Shik 
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Shik.helen10@gmail.com

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SOURCE Oneinforty