BACKGROUND: This year, almost 200,000 women in the United States, or about one in eight, will discover they have breast cancer. Next to skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. The five-year survival rate for breast cancers detected early is greater than 96 percent Experts recommend mammograms as one of the best early detection tools. The National Cancer Institute and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advise women 40 years of age or older to have a mammogram every one to two years, yet 13 million women in this age group fail to get them.

In addition, there will be 21,650 news cases of ovarian cancer across the nation this year and 15,520 women will die from it, according to the National Cancer Institute. Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women and the leading cause of gynecological cancer death. It is also the second most common type of gynecologic malignancy, after breast cancer. The disease is often referred to as "the silent killer" because its symptoms are often not attributed to the cancer, resulting in late stage diagnoses. Ovarian cancer is usually first recognized by a pelvic exam, blood test, or MRI or CAT scan. It is then confirmed with a biopsy.

GENETIC INHERTITANCE: Faulty genes inherited from one or both parents are thought to cause approximately one in 20 cancers. Women who have mutations of the Breast Cancer Type 1 and 2 (BRCA1 and BRCA2) genes are 50 to 80 percent more likely to develop breast cancer and are at greater risk for ovarian cancer. Men with an altered BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene are also at a greater risk of breast cancer and possibly prostate cancer. A blood test can reveal whether a person has the BRCA mutation, and is recommended for women with a very strong family history of the disease. People of Ashkenazi Jewish descent are also five times more likely to carry the altered BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene than the general population.

CHANGING YOUR DESTINY: Currently, women with hereditary forms of breast and ovarian cancer receive the same treatment as other women diagnosed with the disease; however, researchers are studying whether a drug can offer a more targeted therapy to those with faulty BRCA genes. As the body ages, it naturally accumulates small amounts of DNA damage. Normally, cells are able to correct the damage, but in people with BRCA mutations, repair mechanism is impaired, making them more susceptible to developing cancer. The experimental drug works by blocking an enzyme called poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), a key element in DNA repair. By inhibiting PARP, cells with BRCA mutations are killed, and normal cells are left alone. "This is an example, I think, of the most exciting development in cancer therapy, which is targeting treatments specifically to the patient's genetic makeup, especially in a way that only harms cancer cells and leaves the normal cells alone," William Audeh, M.D., a medical oncologist at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif., told Ivanhoe. "I am sure that this is just the beginning of a long list of targeted therapies that will do the same thing." The drug trial is an international effort and is actively recruiting women who have an advanced form of ovarian cancer and one or two mutations on the BRCA genes. According to Dr. Audeh, an international trial on breast cancer patients will also open soon.