The dilemmas of a carrier of BRCA1 gene mutations

This article describes that the decision to be tested on carriership of hereditary cancer has consequences that are more far-reaching than a potential carrier can anticipate beforehand. The experiences of a 41 year old woman, carrier of a mutated BRCA1 gene, who shortly before her scheduled bilateral breast amputation, decided not to have surgery, are described from the point of view of a clinical setting. The case history illustrates the dilemmas of having the knowledge of being a carrier, the uncertainties it evokes and the life-size questions it raises.