Last year, EastEnders legend Kara Tointon underwent a double mastectomy and had her fallopian tubes removed after discovering that she carried the BRCA1 gene.
Kara discovered that she carried the gene after undergoing genetic testing as her mum, Carol, continued to battle ovarian cancer.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast upon her return to acting, she gave fans an update on her health.
‘For me, this is right, and I can only speak about it in a kind of positive way, because it has been positive,’ she began.
‘And I’m on the other side and sort of flying the flag for people to get checked and get to know their bodies and talk more, because communication is key.’
‘Last year I decided to talk about the BRCA gene, it was because I worked quite closely with the Eve Appeal, an amazing charity, they were coming up to Get Lippy month last May, they had asked, when I was ready, would I discuss it?’ she began.
‘Obviously that was quite daunting, as it happens I was ready to talk about it and I knew that people who had spoken about it when I was going through my journey, it comforted me, it helped so much, I wanted to do the same. I am really glad I have. The response was overwhelming. Really the message was, I didn’t think I would take such a dramatic route, I guess.
‘At first I was happy with surveillance, we’re so lucky with these genetic mutations, now we’re getting to know more about personal genetics and surveillance suits a lot of people very well.
‘But for me, finding things, having lots of biopsies, different tests all the time, having two young children, I just took the decision that it was the right move for me.
‘But it doesn’t happen over night. You’re invited to lots of meetings. You have to think it through, everyone has a different choice to make, depending on their lifestyle and who they are.’
Discovering the BRCA1 gene
Taking to Instagram with a video, Kara said: ‘You may have heard of the BRCA genes 1 and 2 and as a carrier it means I am at a greater risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.
‘Back in 2018 when my mum was undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer, I was asked to take a genetics test. There is a history of both cancers in my family on my mother’s side, but for various reasons, including generational trauma of which I’ll talk more about another time, we hadn’t looked into it until that point.
‘But it was put to us, we took the test, and it was confirmed that my mum and I both carried the gene.’
‘I was pregnant with my first child at the time, knew I wanted more children if possible, so over the next couple of years I was invited to various meetings by the NHS, to really become informed and to understand all my options.
‘Last year, having had my second son in 2021 and deciding that our family was complete, I underwent two preventative surgeries. The first a double mastectomy and the second a two-part protector study, a trial. They believe that ovarian cancer begins in the fallopian tubes so by removing them first, checking them out, you then remove the ovaries later, and closer to menopause.
‘We are finding out more and more about personal genetics and many people find that regular surveillance suits them very well, but for me, having done that for a few years, MRIs finding things, biopsies, waiting for result, I decided that this was the right decision for me and my family. It wasn’t an easy decision, but one I’m very glad and lucky I made, and I can now, with hindsight, talk about it properly.’
About the BRCA gene
What are BRCA1 and BCRA2?
Your body is made up of tiny building blocks called cells. Inside every cell is a set of genes. These genes are the instructions the cell needs to work properly. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are 2 different genes. Everyone has BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
BRCA and breast cancer
If a gene is changed, it may not give the correct instructions anymore. A change in a gene is called a gene variant or mutation.
The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes usually protect us from cancer. A variant in either of these genes reduces the level of protection. Over time, this may mean some types of cancer are more likely to develop.
The risk is highest for breast cancer in women and people assigned female at birth.
BRCA and other cancer types
BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene variants may cause a:
- higher-than-average risk of ovarian cancer
- slightly higher-than-average risk of pancreatic cancer.
And BRCA2 gene variants may also cause a higher-than-average risk of:
- prostate cancer
- breast cancer in men and people assigned male at birth.
How BRCA genes run in families
Genes are passed from parent to child (inherited) when a sperm and egg join to start a pregnancy (conception).
A woman, or person assigned female at birth, who inherits a BRCA1 or BRCA2 variant has:
- a high risk of breast and ovarian cancer
- a 1 in 2 (50%) chance of passing the variant to each of their children.
A man, or person assigned male at birth, who inherits a BRCA1 or BRCA2 variant:
- may have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer – this is mainly if they have a BRCA2 variant
- may have a higher risk of prostate and pancreatic cancer – this is mainly if they have a BRCA2 variant
- has a 1 in 2 (50%) chance of passing the variant to each of their children.
If you do not inherit a BRCA1 or BRCA2 variant, you cannot pass it to any of your children.
Information provided via Macmillan
‘No brainer’ decision
‘We’re living in a time where we’re so lucky to become aware of personal genetics, and there’s a choice in that, sometimes that can be a daunting thing we wish we didn’t know about,’ Kara previously said while appearing on Good Morning Britain, discussing her decision to undergo the genetic testing.
‘For me to be given the opportunity to make the choice and see what it’s done to my family, it was a no-brainer for me, I’ve had a lucky shot. Everyone has the BRCA gene, but some people have the gene that’s faulty, and it’s a 50 percent chance that it is passed down.
‘My sister hasn’t got it, but I have, my sister was so upset she didn’t have it… she wanted us to go through it together, but we have gone through it together, because she held my hand every step of the way.’
Kara went on to discuss the ‘hardest part of the process’: making the initial call to schedule her first appointment, saying: ‘I couldn’t talk about it at the time because it is a big deal I suppose.’
