36 | OCTOBER 27 • 2022 

HEALTH

J

Screen, a national 
nonprofit organization 
offering genetic testing 
and counseling, is partnering 
with actress and activist Fran 
Drescher, president of the 
Cancer Schmancer movement, 
to urge the public to learn 
about the power 
of proactive 
genetic screening 
for the prevention 
or early detection 
of breast cancer 
during October 
National Breast 
Cancer Awareness Month. 
“One in 12 adults has a 
genetic cancer risk. Thanks 
to our partner JScreen, you 
can get proactive about your 
health. Go to JScreen.org and 
get tested,” Drecher urges. “It’s 
so easy. Do the saliva test at 
home and the results are pro-
vided via telehealth. Once you 
know your risk, you can take 
the steps to reduce your risk 
of getting sick.” 
The statistics surrounding 
cancer are both staggering 
and concerning — roughly 
half of all men and one-third 
of all women are likely to 
develop cancer during their 
lifetime. Up to 10% of these 
cancers are related to muta-
tions in cancer genes that are 
passed down within a family. 
People who carry these harm-
ful mutations may or may not 
have an obvious family history 
of cancer. 
Genetic screening tech-
nology can identify whether 
an individual has a genetic 
predisposition toward certain 

types of cancer based on the 
specific cancer gene mutation 
they carry. For example, a 
mutation in the BRCA1 or 
BRCA2 genes can raise the 
risk of breast cancer for a 
woman to over 80 percent, as 
well as risks for other types 
of cancer. Armed with this 
knowledge, women can make 
decisions to drastically lower 
their risk for cancer through 
risk-reducing surgery or 
increasing their surveillance 
to include breast ultrasounds 
and/or MRIs.
“Knowledge is power. With 
an understanding and aware-
ness of their cancer risks and 
available options, individuals 
can work with their health-
care providers on the next 
steps,” says Karen Arnovitz 
Grinzaid, MS, CGC, assistant 
professor of human genetics 
at Emory University School of 
Medicine and JScreen’s exec-
utive director. “JScreen offers 
convenient and affordable 
access to cancer genetic test-
ing across the U.S. and helps 
save lives.”
After signing up for a 
CancerGEN test on JScreen’s 
online platform, users sim-
ply provide a saliva sample 
and mail it to the lab. The 
test leverages state-of-the-art 
genetic sequencing technolo-
gy to ensure highly accurate 
results. 
Results are relayed by a 
licensed genetic counsel-
or who provides information 
via telehealth. 

Information available on Jscreen.org.

Fran 
Drescher

Proactive genetic screening offers help.

Reducing Breast 
Cancer Risk

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