Researchers previously reported that having both breasts removed lowers the risk of breast cancer in women with a strong family history of the disease. Now, further analysis of the same study shows that the surgery, known as bilateral prophylactic mastectomy, lowers the risk of breast cancer by roughly 90% or more in women who have a gene mutation linked to a high risk of the disease.
This study shows that even in the highest-risk group of women, namely those known to have inherited mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2, prophylactic mastectomy is associated with a significant reduction in breast cancer risk.
Based on the number of cases of breast cancer expected in this group of high-risk women, the researchers estimate that prophylactic mastectomy reduced the risk of breast cancer by 89.5% in women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. If the woman with breast cancer who did not have an available blood sample is excluded from the analysis, prophylactic mastectomy reduced the risk of breast cancer by 100%.
Despite the benefits of the surgery, many at-risk women may be unwilling to have both their breasts removed; they note in an editorial that accompanies the study. And the editorialists point out that health insurance companies may be unwilling to cover the surgery.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute November 7, 2001;93:1586-1587, 1633-1671
I believe studies like this promote a very powerful negative self-reinforcing orientation that may be far more powerful in producing breast cancer than the actual genes themselves.
There is little question that these genes are associated with an increased risk of cancer, but I would never recommend that anyone get tested for them as it cannot possibly do any good.
There is a basic and profoundly powerful truth in life, which is our consistent thoughts become our reality. If someone tests positive for this gene, their continuous thoughts will be focused on their fear of breast cancer, and their subconscious minds will faithfully manipulate their physiology to produce exactly what they are thinking about.
This is one of the reasons why fear is such a devastatingly negative influence in one's life; it will frequently facilitate acquiring the very thing one is fearful of.
EFT seems to be a very powerful and effective way to break out of this vicious cycle.
On another note, the very concept of radical mastectomy may be flawed as you can see by the other article in this newsletter.
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