SAN DIEGO — The South African Jewish American Community (SAJAC) of San Diego emphasized a subject of concern to Ashkenazi Jews during an Internet presentation Thursday, Oct 15. The program highlighted the risks: 1) to BRCA-positive women for breast cancer, and 2) for prostate cancer in men. There were over 250 enrollees from around the country and beyond who watched the presentation.
The two-hour program kicked off with a review of Ashkenazi history by UCSD clinical Urology Professor Dr. Franklin Gaylis. He explained how the shtetl-confined Ashkenazi communities of Eastern Europe, complicated by consanguineous marriages, concentrated the incidence of BRCA 1 and 2 mutant genes in their population, to a rate of 1 in 40 persons. Eighty percent of modern Jews have Ashkenazi ancestry.These genes cause a predilection for breast and ovarian cancer.
Dr. Gaylis was followed by full-time UCSD Professor of Urology, Dr. Karen Kader, MD, PhD, who described the incidence of prostate cancer, the second most frequent male cancer. This cancer actually has a 2:1 prevalence in African-Americans over other males. It is not an increased risk in Jewish men.
The program highlighted a live case example of each of these cancers in an American Jew.
There are other genetic diseases which have a preferential incidence in Jews. Though mentioned, they were not highlighted in the lectures. These include Tay-Sachs, cystic fibrosis, Gaucher’s Disease, and spinal cord/dysautonomia disorders.
The second hour of the symposium was devoted to small breakout sessions. These electives were: #1 Breast Cancer; #2 prostate cancer; #3 Genetic Counseling; #4 Carrier screening; and #5 SAJAC Information Center.
I attended #3, which was led by Peggy Cottrell, a genetic counselor with sharsheret.org. This nationwide non-profit Jewish agency, headquartered in Boston, ostensibly focuses on BRAC mutations. In fact it’s a counseling source on all the above disorders of DNA and more. There are some 255 known human genetic diseases, a growing number. Sharsheret’s services are available to all, regardless of economic or social status without discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or age.
Ms. Cottrell fielded a wide range of questions, many rather technical, from her curious breakout audience. She added new additional information on a number of items.
Example: PROMPT PGS is a simple genetic test that can help today’s man know his individual relative risk for prostate cancer. It is a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) germ-line test performed on DNA from a buccal swab.
Local SAJAC can be reached at www.sajac.com
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Irv Jacobs is a retired medical doctor who likes to keep up on current medical research. He also is a regular contributor to San Diego Jewish World on Torah subjects.
Hello.
I have recently found out that my grandfather was Jewish. I am now on HRT. I was wondering if that poses a risk for me?