Long time EastEnders fans will remember Kara Tointon as Dawn Swann, the archetypal ‘tart with a heart’, who faced an onslaught of trauma; nearly having her baby snatched by the psychotic wife of the man she’d gotten pregnant by, having a fling with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and finally leaving Walford on a canal boat.
Off-screen, though, she’s bravely faced an incredibly intense medical journey, and has provided an update following her double mastectomy and the removal of her fallopian tubes after the discovery that she carries the BRCA gene, which can significantly increase the risk of cancer.
‘We’re living in a time where we’re so lucky to become aware of personal genetics, and there’s a choice in that, sometimes that can be a daunting thing we wish we didn’t know about,’ Kara said while appearing on Good Morning Britain.
‘For me to be given the opportunity to make the choice and see what it’s done to my family, it was a no-brainer for me, I’ve had a lucky shot.
‘Everyone has the BRCA gene, but some people have the gene that’s faulty, and it’s a 50 percent chance that it is passed down.’
‘My sister hasn’t got it, but I have, my sister was so upset she didn’t have it… she wanted us to go through it together, but we have gone through it together, because she held my hand every step of the way.’
Kara went on to discuss the ‘hardest part of the process’: making the initial call to schedule her first appointment, saying: ‘I couldn’t talk about it at the time because it is a big deal I suppose.’
When asked if she had any advice to offer other people in a similar situation, she bravely stated: ‘Don’t be scared, facing things actually is empowering.’
About the BRCA gene
What are BRCA1 and BCRA2?
Your body is made up of tiny building blocks called cells. Inside every cell is a set of genes. These genes are the instructions the cell needs to work properly. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are 2 different genes. Everyone has BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.
BRCA and breast cancer
If a gene is changed, it may not give the correct instructions anymore. A change in a gene is called a gene variant or mutation.
The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes usually protect us from cancer. A variant in either of these genes reduces the level of protection. Over time, this may mean some types of cancer are more likely to develop.
The risk is highest for breast cancer in women and people assigned female at birth.
BRCA and other cancer types
BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene variants may cause a:
- higher-than-average risk of ovarian cancer
- slightly higher-than-average risk of pancreatic cancer.
And BRCA2 gene variants may also cause a higher-than-average risk of:
- prostate cancer
- breast cancer in men and people assigned male at birth.
How BRCA genes run in families
Genes are passed from parent to child (inherited) when a sperm and egg join to start a pregnancy (conception).
A woman, or person assigned female at birth, who inherits a BRCA1 or BRCA2 variant has:
- a high risk of breast and ovarian cancer
- a 1 in 2 (50%) chance of passing the variant to each of their children.
A man, or person assigned male at birth, who inherits a BRCA1 or BRCA2 variant:
- may have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer – this is mainly if they have a BRCA2 variant
- may have a higher risk of prostate and pancreatic cancer – this is mainly if they have a BRCA2 variant
- has a 1 in 2 (50%) chance of passing the variant to each of their children.
If you do not inherit a BRCA1 or BRCA2 variant, you cannot pass it to any of your children.
Information provided via Macmillan
Discovering the gene
Last year, Kara took to Instagram to speak of her experience in discovering the gene and what came next, teaming up with gynaecological cancer charity, the Eve Appeal.
In the video, she said: ‘You may have heard of the BRCA genes 1 and 2 and as a carrier it means I am at a greater risk of both breast and ovarian cancer. Back in 2018 when my mum was undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer, I was asked to take a genetics test.
Don't miss a Soaps scoop! Add us as a Preferred Source
As a loyal Metro Soaps reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for stories. We have all the latest soaps news, spoilers, videos, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.
Click here and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.
‘There is a history of both cancers in my family on my mother’s side, but for various reasons, including generational trauma of which I’ll talk more about another time, we hadn’t looked into it until that point.
‘But it was put to us, we took the test, and it was confirmed that my mum and I both carried the gene.’
Kara’s mum, Carol, sadly passed away in 2019.
She continued: ‘I was pregnant with my first child at the time, knew I wanted more children if possible, so over the next couple of years I was invited to various meetings by the NHS, to really become informed and to understand all my options. Last year, having had my second son in 2021 and deciding that our family was complete, I underwent two preventative surgeries.
‘The first a double mastectomy and the second a two-part protector study, a trial. They believe that ovarian cancer begins in the fallopian tubes so by removing them first, checking them out, you then remove the ovaries later, and closer to menopause.
‘We are finding out more and more about personal genetics and many people find that regular surveillance suits them very well, but for me, having done that for a few years, MRIs finding things, biopsies, waiting for result, I decided that this was the right decision for me and my family.
‘It wasn’t an easy decision, but one I’m very glad and lucky I made, and I can now, with hindsight, talk about it properly.’
