BRCA PROTECT research clinic was launched in 2015 with the aim to improve risk prediction and the prevention of developing ovarian and breast cancer for those living with a genetic alteration.
The research clinic is an opportunity to develop the most effective and efficient ways to understand breast and gynaecological cancers, the role of genetic alterations (or mutations) and the early development of these cancers; and how best we can protect patients in the future without the need for invasive surgery.
The research clinic is an opportunity to develop the most effective and efficient ways to understand breast and gynaecological cancers, the role of genetic alterations (or mutations) and the early development of these cancers; and how best we can protect patients in the future without the need for invasive surgery.
In order to make a substantial change to the understanding of women’s cancer, we must begin to understand why and how women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 alteration develop ovarian and breast cancer. This will then allow us to develop methods of preventing these cancers, so that the women at risk no longer need to have surgery to remove their breasts, ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Our ambition is to identify the key mechanisms of cancer development and understand its causes, then we will be able to test potential ways of preventing these cancers from developing in the first instance. – Professor Martin Widschwendter
The clinic recruited women from a variety of backgrounds to participate in the research, including:
- women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene alteration
- mothers, sisters, daughters and female cousins who have tested negative for the gene alteration
- women from the general population.
MEET CAROLINE
I carry a BRCA2 alteration and have undergone risk-reducing breast surgery and have also had my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed to lower my risk of cancer. This study is important to the high-risk community and women in the general population, because it means we may not have to undergo such drastic surgeries in the future.
Discover more
Find out more about our research into the BRCA gene alterations and preventing ovarian cancer in women at higher risk.
BRCA UNITE
The team behind the BRCA PROTECT research clinic at UCL: clinicians, research nurses, scientists and ‘BRCA Champions’ looked at the processes that may increase or alter the risk of developing cancer in women with a BRCA alteration.
PROTECTOR
Prof Ranjit Manchanda and his team are using a new two-step approach to preventative surgery for those at a high risk of ovarian cancer.
Genetic cancer prediction through population screening (GCaPPS)
The Journal of the National Cancer Institute publishes two research papers funded by The Eve Appeal into screening for the BRCA gene alteration which could have an impact on how genetic testing in healthcare is delivered in the future.