When Nila Charles was diagnosed with breast cancer, it was during an already demanding period of her life. She was the mother of two young children, ages three and five, working long hours, and caring for a family member who was also diagnosed with cancer.
After receiving her diagnosis at a routine mammogram, Nila learned that she was BRCA2 positive through a genetic testing program co-led by Dr. Melissa Frey, a gynecologic oncologist and co-director of the Genetics and Personalized Cancer Prevention Program in the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, led by Meyer Director Dr. Jedd Wolchok.
People who have inherited a harmful variant in one of the BRCA genes have an increased risk of several cancers, most notably breast and ovarian cancer, but also other cancers of the pancreas, prostate and fallopian tubes. Knowledge of this risk enabled Nila to take preventive measures, electing to have a bilateral mastectomy and a salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of her ovaries and fallopian tubes). Powering patient-centered care through research.
“Knowing that I’m BRCA-positive has empowered me to make the best possible decisions about my health,” says Nila, who chose Weill Cornell Medicine for her breast surgery and cancer treatment.
Nila’s age, genetic profile and risk of recurrence determined her regimen of chemotherapy, radiation and anti-estrogen medication to treat her cancer. She is now in remission.
“Giving people information about their genetic predisposition to cancer – what we call ‘precision genetics’ – is an opportunity to not only educate them, but also help them make decisions about their future in terms of disease prevention or early treatment.” says Dr. Laura Riley, chair of obstetrics and gynecology.
A few months after recovering from her mastectomy, Dr. Frey and a surgical team performed Nila’s breast reconstruction and surgical removal of her ovaries amd fallopian tubes at the same time.
“At Weill Cornell Medicine we really focus on making the patient experience as safe and patient-centric as possible, which includes combining surgeries so that our patients have less recovery time and less time away from their kids and work,” says Dr. Frey.
Dr. Frey also guided Nila through another important step in her journey: familial genetic testing. Patients diagnosed with a BRCA mutation are typically asked to inform their families, so that family members can seek out testing, and this communication can be an additional burden for patients during an already stressful time. Assistance with familial genetic testing is now standard care for all patients with hereditary cancer at Weill Cornell Medicine – one of the only programs of this kind across the country.
“When Nila was diagnosed, we had just opened a clinical trial on clinician-facilitated cascade testing where the medical team works with the patient and their family to deliver genetic testing to relatives,” says Dr. Frey.
“I have four sisters who live in different places throughout the world,” says Nila. “Through this testing, we learned that three of us are BRCA positive. Now we are all able to make informed decisions about our health.”
“With advances and improvements in treatment – and the seamless care coordination at Weill Cornell Medicine – we are helping individuals with breast cancer feel better and live longer,” says Dr. Tessa Cigler, associate professor of clinical medicine and Nila’s oncologist.
Through her experience, Nila became more aware of patients’ needs, such as a lack of resources to explain a cancer diagnosis to young children, so she wrote a children’s book – Mama’s Afro Is A Soldier Too: Mom’s Cancer Diagnosis Explained – to help families and donates copies to hospitals across the U.S. She also changed her career path and is pursuing a doctorate in public health education. “I want to create patient health education programs in the oncology space, specifically for breast cancer,” she says. “It’s my way of making lemonade out of lemons.”
Nila continues to monitor her health and incorporates wellness strategies like balanced nutrition and exercise into her daily routine. She says, “As for me and my journey, I am all about making sure that I am here for as long as I can be, for me and my daughters.”
