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BRCA2 gene, genetic testing, melanoma, lymphoma

Forums General Melanoma Community BRCA2 gene, genetic testing, melanoma, lymphoma

  • Post
    chalknpens
    Participant

      Hi – I'm doing fine myself, having had no new melanoma sites discovered at my three month and six month follow up visits. But I have a relative who has had melanoma for several years, beginniing about a decade ago. She now has lymphoma. And in our family, we have what is called a cancer gene, BRCA 2. That gene is linked to many types of cancer, and it raises the likelihood of developing cancer tremendously.

      Hi – I'm doing fine myself, having had no new melanoma sites discovered at my three month and six month follow up visits. But I have a relative who has had melanoma for several years, beginniing about a decade ago. She now has lymphoma. And in our family, we have what is called a cancer gene, BRCA 2. That gene is linked to many types of cancer, and it raises the likelihood of developing cancer tremendously.

      Is anyone else familiar with this gene? And have other people with melanoma later been diagnosed with lymphoma, and are the two cancers related? I've alerted my doctor to the family link to BRCA 2, and we are looking into genetic testing.

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    • Replies
        JerryfromFauq
        Participant

          Some types of Melanoma and some types of lymphoma's, some Leukema's and some varieties of GIST all have C-kit oncoprotiens and c-kit DNA mutations.  Was your or your relative's melanoma tumors tested for any of the C-kit  mutations?  (I have been a Stagae IV c-kit melanoma patient for 6 years now.)

            chalknpens
            Participant

              My melanoma was stage 1 at the surface only; I don't believe there were actual tumors, but as I didn't know about the BRCA 2 gene until recently, I don't think my biopsies would have looked for that. And my neice's melanoma tumors also predated the BRCA2 information in our family. But she is now on a 'watchful waiting' regime with her oncologist, so I'll listen for any direct link to her case. Her sister, also my neice, has just been diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer and will begin chemotherepy soon.

              Thank you for answering my post.

              chalknpens
              Participant

                My melanoma was stage 1 at the surface only; I don't believe there were actual tumors, but as I didn't know about the BRCA 2 gene until recently, I don't think my biopsies would have looked for that. And my neice's melanoma tumors also predated the BRCA2 information in our family. But she is now on a 'watchful waiting' regime with her oncologist, so I'll listen for any direct link to her case. Her sister, also my neice, has just been diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer and will begin chemotherepy soon.

                Thank you for answering my post.

                chalknpens
                Participant

                  My melanoma was stage 1 at the surface only; I don't believe there were actual tumors, but as I didn't know about the BRCA 2 gene until recently, I don't think my biopsies would have looked for that. And my neice's melanoma tumors also predated the BRCA2 information in our family. But she is now on a 'watchful waiting' regime with her oncologist, so I'll listen for any direct link to her case. Her sister, also my neice, has just been diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer and will begin chemotherepy soon.

                  Thank you for answering my post.

                JerryfromFauq
                Participant

                  Some types of Melanoma and some types of lymphoma's, some Leukema's and some varieties of GIST all have C-kit oncoprotiens and c-kit DNA mutations.  Was your or your relative's melanoma tumors tested for any of the C-kit  mutations?  (I have been a Stagae IV c-kit melanoma patient for 6 years now.)

                  JerryfromFauq
                  Participant

                    Some types of Melanoma and some types of lymphoma's, some Leukema's and some varieties of GIST all have C-kit oncoprotiens and c-kit DNA mutations.  Was your or your relative's melanoma tumors tested for any of the C-kit  mutations?  (I have been a Stagae IV c-kit melanoma patient for 6 years now.)

                    buffcody
                    Participant

                      My mother was diagnosed with melanoma in her 60s.  In her 90s she was diagnosed with lymphoma and died of it.  I had breast cancer before my melanoma but was found to be BRCA negative.  Our family is being researched by NCI for familial melanoma because there were 3 others in the family that also had it.  I believe one of the things they will be looking at will be CDK4.  Don't know much about it yet. One of the side points of this is that my mother was never biopsied to definitively determine whether the lymphoma might have been metastatic melanoma.  Perhaps the doctor was so sure she felt she did not need a biopsy. But it certainly has left a question in my mind with my own metastatic melanoma emerging 6 years after her death and my mother's doctor refusing to communicate with me because of HIPPA, I presume.  Hard to know for sure when a doctor does not return your calls.

                        chalknpens
                        Participant

                          Thank you for your replies. I'll be interviewed by an oncologist – phlebotomist this week, to 'predetermine' whether the genetic testing is 'medically indicated' or not. I'll keep you posted.

                          chalknpens
                          Participant

                            Thank you for your replies. I'll be interviewed by an oncologist – phlebotomist this week, to 'predetermine' whether the genetic testing is 'medically indicated' or not. I'll keep you posted.

                            chalknpens
                            Participant

                              Thank you for your replies. I'll be interviewed by an oncologist – phlebotomist this week, to 'predetermine' whether the genetic testing is 'medically indicated' or not. I'll keep you posted.

                            buffcody
                            Participant

                              My mother was diagnosed with melanoma in her 60s.  In her 90s she was diagnosed with lymphoma and died of it.  I had breast cancer before my melanoma but was found to be BRCA negative.  Our family is being researched by NCI for familial melanoma because there were 3 others in the family that also had it.  I believe one of the things they will be looking at will be CDK4.  Don't know much about it yet. One of the side points of this is that my mother was never biopsied to definitively determine whether the lymphoma might have been metastatic melanoma.  Perhaps the doctor was so sure she felt she did not need a biopsy. But it certainly has left a question in my mind with my own metastatic melanoma emerging 6 years after her death and my mother's doctor refusing to communicate with me because of HIPPA, I presume.  Hard to know for sure when a doctor does not return your calls.

                              buffcody
                              Participant

                                My mother was diagnosed with melanoma in her 60s.  In her 90s she was diagnosed with lymphoma and died of it.  I had breast cancer before my melanoma but was found to be BRCA negative.  Our family is being researched by NCI for familial melanoma because there were 3 others in the family that also had it.  I believe one of the things they will be looking at will be CDK4.  Don't know much about it yet. One of the side points of this is that my mother was never biopsied to definitively determine whether the lymphoma might have been metastatic melanoma.  Perhaps the doctor was so sure she felt she did not need a biopsy. But it certainly has left a question in my mind with my own metastatic melanoma emerging 6 years after her death and my mother's doctor refusing to communicate with me because of HIPPA, I presume.  Hard to know for sure when a doctor does not return your calls.

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