News

NHS Jewish BRCA Screening Programme Launch

Posted on by Chai Cancer Care
15
Feb

Following a one-year pilot scheme, Wednesday (31st January) evening saw the official launch of the NHS Jewish BRCA Testing Programme at The House of Lords, for which Chai and Jnetics have been appointed as joint community engagement partners.

This ground-breaking initiative enables anyone living in England who is aged 18 or over and has one or more Jewish grandparent, to take a simple at home test to find out if they carry a BRCA 1 or 2 gene mutation. This will increase their risk of developing certain cancers, in particular breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate. With that knowledge comes the power to do something about it and mitigate the risk.

The launch was well attended by leading figures from NHS England together with Lords and MPs, CEOs from a number of national cancer charities, and key stakeholders spanning the Jewish Community and beyond. 

Peter Johnson, National Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS England said: “BRCA testing for the people most at risk has the potential to save lives, by allowing them to take steps to reduce the chance of cancers developing or making sure that any cancer can be detected as early as possible, with those at increased risk able to take advantage of surveillance and prevention programmes with their health teams.”

Ranjit Manchanda, Professor at Wolfson Institute of Population Health, who in 2007 presented to Chai’s Medical Advisory Panel and who has spent 16 years researching and pioneering this programme concluded: “I am absolutely delighted to see this programme come into fruition. It is about identifying more people who are at risk and it’s about saving lives.”

Lord David Wolfson of Tredegar, who hosted the launch at the House of Lords, praised the programme as “a real example of how the Jewish community can work together with a national organisation and be of benefit to both.”

Chai Chairman, Louise Hager, said: “As engagement partners, Jnetics and Chai are committed to supporting the community to make informed choices, not only for themselves but also for their wider family members and to deliver expert support and care at every stage.”

So now we look ahead, with the aim to test 30,000 people over the next 18 months.

To register for testing and for further information on the testing programme and the support available, please visit http://jewishbrca.org