Tens of thousands of people with Jewish ancestry who are more likely to carry a genetic fault that can increase the risk of developing some cancers will receive genetic testing through a new programme announced by the NHS in England.
With plans to identify thousands more people carrying faults in the BRCA genes over the next two years so they can seek early access to surveillance and prevention services, the testing programme is part of the NHS’s major drive to catch tumours early when they are easier to treat.
BRCA refers to two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, which repair DNA damage and normally help to protect against cancer. Some individuals are born with a fault in one of these genes, and this increases their likelihood of developing certain cancers, including breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancer.
People with Jewish ancestry are around six times more likely to carry such genetic faults than the general population.
The new national NHS Jewish BRCA Testing Programme will see anyone over the age of 18 with Jewish ancestry offered a simple genetic saliva test to look for the presence of BRCA1 or BRCA2 faults. The saliva samples will be carried out at home and then be sent to laboratories for testing.
During the pilot phase of the programme, thousands of people have already come forward for testing and the national roll-out will see around 30,000 people tested over the next two years.
People with at least one Jewish grandparent can register for a saliva kit to be sent to their home address by visiting: https://jewishbrca.org/.
Charities Jnetics and Chai Cancer Care have been running an engagement campaign to help raise awareness in Jewish communities and encourage a significant number of men and women with Jewish ancestry to come forward for a free test.
Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS England said: “BRCA testing for the people most at risk has the potential to save lives, by allowing them to take steps to reduce the chance of cancers developing or making sure that any cancer can be detected as early as possible, with those at increased risk able to take advantage of surveillance and prevention programmes with their health teams.”
Having an altered BRCA gene does not mean someone will definitely develop cancer in their lifetime, but being aware of their significantly increased risk can enable them to receive support from the NHS and consider a range of options including regular screening, lifestyle changes, risk-reducing surgery or medicines to help lower their risk.
The NHS is seeing and treating record numbers of people for cancer, with 30% more people being treated last year than in 2015/16 and almost 3 million people receiving potentially lifesaving cancer checks in the last 12 months, ensuring more people have been diagnosed at an early stage.