Living with genetic cancers

Tatum explores what it's like to carry a 'cancer gene' and speaks to Helen, who carries the BRCA gene, and Cara who has Lynch syndrome. 

Cara developed bowel cancer at 32 for which she was successfully treated. She later developed early stage womb cancer and had a hysterectomy and oophorectomy during the pandemic. Her father had also had bowel cancer. 

Three generations of Helen's family have been affected by cancer, including her mother who died of breast cancer in the 1990s. Helen tested positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation as a child and later developed ovarian cancer. 

Both Cara and Helen discuss what it's like to live with the constant awareness of cancer and how they continue to process their experiences.