High profile stories about women facing genetic risk of cancer have had an impact on thousands of people – but not enough impact, campaigners say today.
The actress Angelina Jolie and a story-line in Eastenders have led to many people asking questions about their own families, according to a survey.
Ms Jolie decided to have her breasts removed after discovering she had the BRCA1 gene, which is linked to breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
March has been declared Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
According to a survey published today, some 90% of women are aware of Ms Jolie’s actions but just 10% have decided to make inquiries about their own risk by asking about cancer in their family.
Researchers found that just 2% of these had undergone a genetic test and about 30% reported finding it difficult to find out about their own families.
The research by pollsters Opinion Matters involved a sample of some 1,267 women.
They found that 63% of women had not heard of the two major cancer genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2.
A spokesman for the charity Ovarian Cancer Action said it was urging all women to be "BRCA Aware."
"Angelina Jolie’s decision to undergo a double mastectomy last year as a carrier of the faulty BRCA gene mutation (which can lead to both breast and ovarian cancer) may have put the issue in the spotlight. The report shows it has had little impact on the number of women with a family history being genetically tested."
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