A teenager who underwent cognitive and aptitude testing when she applied to join the military was told she was ineligible to join “at the last minute” because her mother and aunt had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Carys Holmes, 17, from Derbyshire, said BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour on Friday that she felt “crushed” to learn that her dream of serving in the British Army would not come true, even though she had not even been tested for the BRAC1 gene.
Holmes has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the breast cancer gene and says she was told she wouldn’t be able to serve her country because she might one day need time off for preventative surgery.
Explaining to radio show host Anita Rani how she “fell in love” with the idea of joining after attending an information session, she said: “I loved it, this is what I want to do.”
She said: “I applied in October and sent them my medical records and they reviewed them at that time and gave me the go-ahead.”
Carys Holmes, 17, from Derbyshire, was delighted to pass the physical and cognitive tests to join the army, but was “crushed” when she was told at the last minute that her family history of breast cancer meant she would not be eligible. would allow signing. above
Holmes says he later went to an assessment center – after training “very hard” – for three days of medical, cognitive and fitness tests and that’s where his family history became an issue.
The possibility that he had the BRCA1 gene was in his medical history. She told the program that she currently has a 1.9 percent chance of developing the disease before age 30 if she tests positive for the gene.
After overcoming the physical challenges, he continued until the final part of the process, when all the people who had failed other elements of the tests had already been sent home.
She said: ‘At this point I thought it had happened, that everything was fine. I was about to do my interview and get my certificate to say I had passed my basic training and they pulled me out at the last minute and said, ‘You are not medically fit to join because you have a long history of breast cancer in your family.’ “.
Holmes said she told them that “extensive” wasn’t really fair because only her mother and aunt had been diagnosed with breast cancer in their family.
She says she assumed the Army’s view was that “if I found out I had the gene, the time off I would need to have preventative surgery would basically be a hassle for them.”
Carys’ mother Rachel (right) is currently receiving treatment for breast cancer. Her daughter has not yet been tested to see if she has the BRAC1 gene.
The young recruit added: ‘Everyone had received their certificates and was celebrating. I was the only one who had not been able to communicate.
She returned home and spoke to her mother, who is currently receiving treatment for breast cancer, and mother and daughter decided to oppose the decision. The case went to appeal and initially failed.
His mother Rachel said: “It’s really short-sighted of them, considering they’re crying out for recruits.”
Also appearing on the show was Emma Norton, an attorney at the Military Justice Center.
He told Rani that the case was very unusual and that not offering Holmes a job was an “own goal.”
Rachel described the British Army’s now-revoked decision not to offer her daughter a job as “short-sighted.”
Norton said: “If the Army is pursuing a blanket policy of automatically excluding applications from all women who have a history of breast cancer in their family, that would appear, on its face, to be illegal because it is discriminatory and may even constitute a violation of human rights.
‘And we are at a time when the military should really do everything it can to improve its reputation among women and encourage more and more young people to enlist. “It seems like a very serious own goal.”
According to the NHS, for every 100 women with a BRCA1 gene mutation, between 65 and 85 will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Between the ages of 40 and 63 they will develop ovarian cancer.
Of every 100 women with the BRCA2 mutation, between 40 and 85 will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives.
In some cases, patients with faulty genes may be offered risk-reducing surgery, which removes tissue such as the breasts or ovaries, that could become cancerous.
In a statement, an army spokesperson told the BBC: “If a candidate appears to be at risk of suffering from a specific genetic disorder, the occupational doctor responsible for recruit selection will assess the risk and its likely impact on the health and safety of the candidate. candidate in a military environment. workplace, typically, without the need for genetic testing.’
However, Holmes was told last week that a job offer was again on the table, after a spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we are reviewing the circumstances of this case and have contacted the person to explain what happened and apologize.”
“The issue is now being handled personally by the army recruiting chief.”
The teenager will begin her basic training in October.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Every year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the United States, it attacks 266,000 people each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancer cell that develops in the lining of a duct or lobe of one of the breasts.
When breast cancer has spread to surrounding tissue, it is called “invasive.” Some people are diagnosed with “carcinoma in situ,” where cancer cells have not grown beyond the duct or lobe.
Most cases develop in people over 50 years of age, but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, although this is rare.
Staging tells how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage, and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
Cancer cells are graded from low, meaning slow growing, to high, meaning fast growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they are first treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumor begins from an abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is believed that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This causes the cell to be abnormal and multiply “out of control.”
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the likelihood, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are non-cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place breast cancer usually spreads is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs, you will develop a swelling or lump in your armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial evaluation: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may perform tests such as a mammogram, a special x-ray of breast tissue that can indicate the possibility of tumors.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If it is confirmed that you have breast cancer, more tests may be needed to evaluate whether it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound of the liver, or a chest x-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options that may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormonal treatment. A combination of two or more of these treatments is often used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumor.
- Radiation therapy: A treatment that uses high-energy radiation beams focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells or stops them from dividing. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: Treatment of cancer using anticancer drugs that kill cancer cells or stop them from dividing.
- Hormonal treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the “female” hormone estrogen, which can stimulate cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments that lower the level of these hormones or stop them from working are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is the treatment?
The prognosis is better for those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small and has not spread. Surgically removing a tumor at an early stage may offer a good chance of cure.
Routine mammography offered to women aged 50 to 70 means that more breast cancers are diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information, visit breastcancernow.org or call their free helpline on 0808 800 6000.