What is a Previvor
We have all heard of and probably know someone considered a survivor. Someone who has been diagnosed with cancer of some form and has survived it…thus the term survivor.
But how many of us have heard of a previvor? And what exactly does that mean? It is someone who finds out that they have a genetic mutation, which makes them have a predisposition to a certain cancer(s). All of our bodies produce potential cancer cells. A genetic mutation is a faulty gene that is not working properly and is unable to repair the DNA as it should when these cancer cells attempt to form. When a person finds out they have a genetic mutation BEFORE they are diagnosed with cancer, they become a previvor.
This previvor can then take action to reduce or eliminate the chance of that cancer occurring before it develops. Sometimes the risk can be eliminated by prophylactic surgeries. At other times, early screenings can help detect a cancer when it is in a very early stage and easily treated and not life-threatening. It has been known for a long time that early detection saves lives, but for those with genetic mutations, these early screenings may need to start at a younger age than the age recommended for the general population or need to be done more often.
Cancer care has previously only been thought of as a patient being in treatment or being a survivor. However, as knowledge is power, preventing cancer should be a huge part of cancer care. Creating more previvors adds a new dimension to cancer care that we do not tend to think about. The phrase “previvor” was coined in 2000 and here we are, over two decades later, and still there are so many that do not have a clue what this phrase even means. So awareness of this term is live-saving.
I recently came across an article where the author was telling the story of his wife and his daughter. The gentleman stated in his article that his daughter was a previvor and his wife should have been. This is because his wife found out that she had a genetic mutation AFTER her diagnosis of cancer, a cancer that took her life. Because they found out about his wife’s genetic mutation, his daughter underwent genetic testing. This test found her mutation BEFORE she herself was forced to face a cancer diagnosis. This is now a diagnosis she may never face because of the steps she has taken.
Not everyone needs genetic testing, but for families that have certain young cancers, rare cancers or multiple family members with the same cancers, genetic testing may be
appropriate. Genetic testing allows an individual to know if they have a genetic mutation.
This raises the question that if a person knows that they have a genetic mutation, would it not create undue stress for that patient. It really does not because individuals who have a strong family history of cancer and particularly certain kinds of cancers are already worried. Uncertainty does not empower them to do anything. But if they are equipped with the knowledge of their risk, and the options of treatments and screenings, it empowers them to take control of their previvor care.
In the words of the American Geneticist Mary-Claire King, PHD, “To identify a woman who is a carrier only after she develops cancer is a failure in cancer prevention.”
If you have questions about cancer genetic testing, you may reach out to Jenifer Dumire, High Risk and Genetic Navigator at Midland Health at 432-221-1189.