Welcome to the home of the Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline
We hope you will find useful information here to help your journey. Most breast cancer occurs by chance, however in some families an alteration in a gene can give rise to a hugely increased risk. It is important to realise that everyone is an individual with different needs. We hope to promote a range of options for everyone; our mantra is that everyone should have access to all the relevant options open to them, then full support no matter what the choice.Having a psychological service certainly adds another string to our bow and fills a gap for those struggling with referral for surgery – a major focus of the helpline!
- Clinical advice
- Peer patient support re testing, result cascading and preventative surgery and support groups
- Body image role-modelling events
- Raising awareness of inherited disease and preventative surgery
- Driving implementation through FOI events
- Stakeholder advice for guidelines
Our Private Testing Partner
We’re proud to partner with Veritas, offering private genetic testing.
They have offered all NHBCH referrals a discounted price of £500 – which includes counselling from The London Genetics Centre team and a donation to NHBCH for every test purchased.
Please contact us for a special referral code if you would like to take advantage of this offer.
Thank you thank you thank you!
Hi, I just wanted to send an email to say a huge thank you to Wendy for her support and assistance this past month or two. It is much appreciated that this is a service available when we have such deplorable NHS service in North Wales surrounding screening and information sharing and indeed gatekeeping to access services. Through Wendy’s support I have now been able to find out exactly what I am eligible for and will be using this information to empower me to move forward to get the risk reducing surgery I am eligible for. Wendy, you are an absolute gem!!!! Thank you thank you thank you.
A huge weight has been lifted!
Hi Wendy, thanks so much for your help – I was at 28.5% risk- NHS in Cumbria classed that as moderate and told me only option was mammograms starting at 40- was also denied surgery privately as not over 30% risk Can’t thank you enough for putting me in touch with Gareth Evan’s- he uses 25% as cut off enabling me to have surgery at the wythenshawe on the nhs My nan died of breast cancer at 62 and my mum at 60- can’t thank you enough- since the surgery it it like a huge weight has been lifted xxx
Wendy is simply amazing!
To whom it may concern I have used the hereditary breast cancer helpline several times as unfortunately I have a BRCA mutation and worried about my older teenage daughter developing breast cancer -as its quite early onset in my family. I can, hand on heart say, it has been a lifeline to speak to the team who just get it and are so knowledgeable and to be responded to within days by both Prof Evans and Wendy was incredible. They even made time for me in evenings and weekends. I dont think there is anything else like this in UK. I am so thankful to Wendy for her passion, energy and drive to help those who are facing hereditary breast cancer -without whom I am sure many women’s lives would be cut short or lost to breast cancer. She is simply amazing..
Louise
Having a psychological service certainly adds another string to our bow and fills a gap for those struggling with referral for surgery – a major focus of the helpline!
We offer:
- Clinical advice
- Peer patient support re testing, result cascading and preventative surgery and support groups
- Body image role-modelling events
- Raising awareness of inherited disease and preventative surgery
- Stakeholder advice for guidelines
- Driving implementation through FOI events
Wendy held the first Hereditary Breast Cancer Awareness week to mark the launch of the helpline. This was warmly received by the whole genetic community and supported by the late Princess Diana (click the letter to the right to read). Two genes had at that time been found which, if faulty, conferred around an 80-90% breast cancer risk.
The main aim of the helpline was to ensure that those worried about their family history had access to full information on all the options currently available, referrals where appropriate, and full peer support for whatever option was chosen. Most importantly that those affected had the opportunity to make informed choices. It is also an important role of the helpline to reassure those worrying unnecessarily. To that end the Helpline has been enormously successful, given the feedback over this past 19 years.
From the outset one of the main problems was inequity of service. The Helpline was instrumental in bringing the ‘Management of women at risk’ to the attention of the DoH and in 2006 guidelines were developed and announced by NICE, with representation and approval from the Helpline. The Helpline has also been involved with the current moratorium on ‘Genetic testing and insurance’, and was also active in alerting the government to the worrying situation of the gene patent, which, if allowed to go forward, would have made genetic testing prohibitively expensive for the NHS, thus costing lives.
The Helpline is manned as near as possible 24 hours per day, every day, although an answering service is always available. To date many thousands of calls have been taken worldwide and Wendy has given numerous talks internationally. In 2001 Wendy was called upon to help advise on the launch of a similar incentive in the USA.
Our Fantastic Sponsors!
Graysons Solicitors
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Access Free Expert Legal Support with Graysons Solicitors
Working hand in hand with the National Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline.
Empowering Self-Examination: Our Partnership with Aware BSE
In our continued mission to promote breast health awareness, we’re proud to maintain our partnership with Aware BSE. Their innovative product, the Aware® Pad, is a game-changer in breast self-examination, enhancing tactile sensitivity to detect changes in breast tissue effectively. This collaboration is more than just a partnership; it’s a shared commitment to empowering women with the tools they need for early detection.
Aware BSE: A Revolution in Breast Health Awareness The Aware® Pad represents a significant advancement in self-examination techniques. By increasing sensitivity during self-exams, it helps in identifying potential issues at an early stage, which is crucial for effective treatment. Our partnership with Aware BSE underscores our dedication to providing our listeners and the wider community with access to the best resources for breast health.
The Mother & Daughter Breast of Friends Podcast
Hosted by Becky Measures and Wendy Watson MBE, this empowering podcast blends insightful conversations, expert interviews, and personal stories to shed light on an often misunderstood topic.
Pink Ribbon Foundation
BRCA Chat
We are a tiny, but national U.K charity, which aims to help all humans navigating a BRCA (or other) gene mutation. Whether you are considering testing, have already been tested, have been diagnosed with cancer – or are a buddy wanting to support a friend (you champ, you), we are here for you.
Prevent Breast Cancer
Prevent Breast Cancer is the only UK charity entirely dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer – we’re committed to freeing the world from the disease altogether.
The Eve Appeal
The Eve Appeal is the leading UK national charity funding research and raising awareness into the five gynaecological cancers – womb, ovarian, cervical, vulval and vaginal.