A 62-year-old woman who defeated lung and breast cancer has regained her health

Nurel, who has been diagnosed with the BRCA gene, known as the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene, has two daughters and a brother and sister who are also battling cancer.

Nurel, a mother of three, told an Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter that she began coughing heavily in 2018 and was diagnosed with lung cancer when she went to the hospital.

Nurel, who explained that she first underwent chemotherapy, said, "The mass was 5 centimeters and close to my heart. They reduced it to 2.5 centimeters with chemotherapy. Then I had surgery, and they removed a third of my lung. My treatment was going well, but I started coughing again, and I was bleeding from the mouth. I had to travel from home to the hospital, and they did another biopsy. They told my children, 'Anything could happen to your mother at any time. Be patient.' Thankfully, I got through it; my treatment went well. I received radiation therapy, and I recovered."

Nurel stated that two years later, while her treatment was still ongoing, she felt a pain in her left chest, like a needle prick, and that the pain went away after she took a painkiller.

Nurel, who later stated that when the pain increased, she checked her chest and found two walnut-sized lumps, said, "I didn't tell my children because they were afraid. I went to the hospital, and the ultrasound showed the disease. I came to see Dr. Saliha at Kayseri City Hospital. I had surgery, and I also provided a genetic sample. My breasts and ovaries were removed."

Nurel stated that his condition is currently good, but that he is being monitored.

Nurel, who stated that her brother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and her sister with breast cancer a year after her own illness, said, "My sister also had surgery, and everything was removed from her, just like me. Thank God, we are fine now. We are on our feet thanks to God first, and then to our doctor."

Nurel stated that her daughters had also submitted to genetic testing, noting that her daughter, who lives in Germany, had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and her daughter in Kayseri had uterine cancer, and that their treatments were continuing.

Nurel, who advises women to see a doctor if they experience any symptoms in their breasts, said, "Women shouldn't hesitate when they experience cramp-like pain in their breasts. It really comes on suddenly. I didn't have any, and I've always been someone who keeps myself in check. I was so apprehensive about ultrasounds and such. Every time I came for a checkup, there was nothing wrong; it just happened."

Dr. Saliha Karagöz Eren, Associate Professor at the Kayseri City Hospital General Surgery Clinic, noted that breast cancer is the most common type seen in women and that it ranks among the top causes of cancer-related deaths in women.

Eren, noting that the average annual risk of developing breast cancer in a standard-risk individual is known to be 12.6 percent, said, "We say it's one in every eight women. There's a higher increase in breast cancer rates among those under 40 in our country compared to Europe and America."

Eren, who stated that a gene known as BRCA was detected in his patient Meryem Nurel, said, "If we detect the BRCA gene in an individual, we definitely conduct family screening. We need to check whether the mother, father, siblings, and children carry this gene. If we detect the gene associated with breast cancer in that individual, then, as I mentioned earlier, these patients need to come in for more frequent and regular checkups. We can even recommend various preventive surgeries or medication for patients who have completed their childbearing years."