Male Patient Tests + for Breast Cancer Gene

Breast cancer runs in Robert Tharp’s family, specifically his daughters’ … turns out he is the carrier of the BRCA gene.

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Jill Chadwick

News Director

Office: (913) 588-5013

Cell: (913) 223-3974

Email

jchadwick@kumc.edu

Most people don’t associate men with breast cancer. It’s more common than you think. After one family had a daughter diagnosed with the disease, and the father discovered a lump on his breast, all were tested for the hereditary BRCA gene, and all tested positive. That prompted a second daughter, who didn’t have breast cancer, to proactively have her breasts and reproductive organs removed, practically eliminating her chance of the disease. Bob Tharp and one of his daughters, Karen Rogalske, share their experiences and breast cancer surgeon Jamie Wagner explains the importance of testing for the BRCA gene.