Breast cancer gene found in daughter after mother's death

A blood sample taken from Jane Tomlinson before her 2007 death was tested in 2023 and revealed a BRCA2 mutation; her daughter Becca also tested positive and has had risk-reducing surgery.

Jane Tomlinson died of breast cancer in 2007 at the age of 43. Before she died she asked doctors to keep a sample of her blood for her family to use if needed. In 2023 that stored sample was tested and found to carry a BRCA2 gene mutation. Her daughter Becca then had genetic testing, which showed she carries the same mutation, and she has since had risk-reducing surgery. Key facts: - Jane Tomlinson requested a blood sample be retained for family testing before her death in 2007. - The sample was tested in May 2023 and showed a BRCA2 mutation. - Becca Tomlinson tested positive for the same mutation and had a double mastectomy in September 2023 and removal of her fallopian tubes in December 2024. - Becca plans an oophorectomy in her early 40s; each child of a parent with a BRCA mutation has a 50% chance of inheriting it. Summary: The retained blood sample allowed a family genetic diagnosis more than a decade after Jane Tomlinson's death, leading to confirmed BRCA2 results for her daughter and subsequent risk-reducing procedures. Becca has completed some surgeries and plans further risk-reducing treatment in the future; decisions about testing for her children will be made when they are older.