Cast of breasts of Caroline Presho, who made the cast at the age of 35 before electing to have her breasts removed by double-mastectomy in November 2009, following a genetic diagnosis of a BRCA2 mutation in December 2007 that increased her risk of breast and ovarian cancer, made by Caroline Presho, using dental plaster, United Kingdom, 2009.

Receiving a genetic diagnosis can have profound consequences for individuals and their families, regarding treatment choices, the impact of frequent screening, and also psychologically and emotionally. This cast of breasts made by Caroline Presho represents an individual’s response to the impact of receiving a genetic test of a BRACA2 mutation, the gene that increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer for an individual, and consequently the double mastectomy she elected to have to manage her risk of developing cancer.

Many of Caroline’s female family members had died of breast or ovarian cancer. In 2002, her Auntie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and suggested the family be tested for higher genetic susceptibility to cancer. Caroline’s family were of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, a group identified with having the mutation and higher cancer risk. Caroline and her sister eventually went to be tested and both received positive BRCA2 diagnoses in December 2007. Caroline then decided to have her breasts removed in 2009, in an elective double-mastectomy, to avoid the anxiety associated with having to be screened ever year waiting for a cancer diagnosis. “I didn’t think twice about the surgery, I just wanted to improve my chances of staying healthy.” In 2013 Caroline also elected to have her ovaries removed for the same reason. Caroline has since become a member of the BRCA umbrella patient advocate groups and does a lot of work communicating patient experiences to trainee doctors.