Actress Angelina Jolie made headlines when she underwent a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy. That means that she had both breasts removed even though she hadn’t been diagnosed with cancer. She did it because she’s a carrier of the BRCA 1 gene which puts her at a much higher risk of developing breast cancer than the average woman. According to the National Cancer Institute, having preventative surgery like this can reduce your risk by as much as 90%.
Her decision helped to draw attention to early detection and advanced genetic testing that can identify women who are at high risk for this disease.
You have a higher risk of developing breast cancer if:
- You carry the BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene.
- Your mother or sister has breast cancer in both breasts.
- Your mother or sister had breast and/or ovarian cancer before the age of 50.
Over the past few years, there’s been a noticeable shift towards preventative mastectomies for women who have a high risk of developing breast cancer. For many women, finding out that they carry one of these genes is enough motivation to consider preventative surgery.
If you have no history of cancer in your family, you might be wondering if this is even anything you have to worry about but breast cancer is something that every woman needs to pay attention to. Statistics show that this is the number one cancer that affects women and the incidence of it is on the up.
Regular mammograms and genetic testing, as well as early diagnosis and treatment, are important factors in winning the fight against breast cancer and surviving with less extensive, invasive surgery – with your finances intact.
Are you covered for preventative surgery?
More and more women are considering preventative surgery and many choose to have breast reconstruction surgery at the same time. However, preventative surgery is costly and isn’t always covered by your medical aid. In the case of a breast cancer diagnosis, some medical aids will only cover the reconstruction of the affected breast, but not the other. Some medical aids may not cover reconstruction at all.
This is where critical illness cover comes in. It could help to cover the cost of a preventative mastectomy and/or reconstruction if your medical aid won’t pay out or won’t cover the full amount. Hollard Life’s Comprehensive Critical Illness would pay a portion of your benefit amount for prophylactic mastectomy as well as mastectomy for early (in situ) breast cancer. Finding out that you’re at risk for cancer is a big deal — both emotionally and financially. This is hardly the time you want to be faced with unaffordable medical bills.
Hollard Life Assurance Company (Reg. No. 1993/001405/06) is an authorised Financial Services Provider.
