Renee Wasserman has a genetic mutation linked to hereditary breast cancer.

Our hair color, eye color and even our skin tone is determined by our DNA. No matter how much we can change what we see, there's no changing that genetic code.

Just ask Renee Wasserman. She took a genetic test to find out if she had a genetic mutation linked to hereditary breast cancer, and tested positive.

"I tried to explain it was a DNA booboo," she said.

Knowing she might test positive was one thing, but receiving the news was another.

	More Information
According to Associated Content, a previvor is a person who does not have cancer yet, but is at a higher, elevated risk to get cancer. Previvors are demonstrated in those women who test positive for the BRCA gene mutation. Find out if you qualify for BRCA1 and BRCA2: Cancer Risk and Genetic Testing. For more information, visit Cancer.gov.

"That was stunning. It was, it is just a one-page, a half-page piece of paper that was handed to me with the thought I should meet with an oncologist and a genetic counselor," she said.

Renee is a part of a growing number of women known as previvors.

"The cancer previvor is a person that has the predisposition, genetically predisposed to cancer with a very high risk of not only initial cancer, but recurrence," Renee explained.

There's a growing number of people who are taking the genetic test, and even more who are trying to find out if they're candidates for it. Gayle Simpson Patel is the only certified genetic counselor in Central Texas.

	A growing number of people are signing up to take the genetic test.

"We spend a lot of time with them reviewing their personal history and their medical history and their family history, and trying to see if we can paint a picture about what's going on in the family. Could there be a genetic disease or a genetic cause for the cancer we're seeing?" Patel said.

Right now, geneticists only know of two genes that are connected to hereditary breast cancer: BRCA-1 and BRCA-2.

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	Prevention News 8's Crestina Chavez has more on a gene mutation and the test that can tell you if you have it.

"We can do something to keep women healthy that people are real interested in this testing. And, I think that's great. I think there's a lot of women who have benefitted from this testing," Patel said. "But, testing is going to change over time. And, we're going to learn more over time. There may be other genes and things we can look into."

Patel believes once researchers find out genetic causes, they can start looking into targeted therapies, actually changing our DNA.

"Can genetics inform treatment? That's where we're headed. That's where we'd like to be, perhaps at a slower pace then we'd like, but that is the goal," she said.

Until that time, Renee said she plans to use her test results to reduce her risk of breast and ovarian cancer, by any means necessary. She had her ovaries removed earlier this year will have surgery to remove both her breasts.

	BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 are two genes connected to hereditary breast cancer.

"The risk of me getting breast cancer is around 87-90 percent," Renee said. "When I think about that, that's a B+ to a solid A. And, if I go back to college and I think about that, well, my odds are pretty good."

Renee leaves this week for Chicago where she's having her bilateral mastectomy.

"It's not my time. It took me a while to become a parent. My children are only four. I'm 45. I've got a lot of life left," Renee said.

Nothing's going to scrub those little quirks in our DNA, but more and more women are using it to give them a whole new look on life.

	Do you qualify for the genetic test?
How do people know if they should consider genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations? Currently, there are no standard criteria for recommending or referring someone for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation testing. In a family with a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, it may be most informative to first test a family member who has breast or ovarian cancer. If that person is found to have a harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, then other family members can be tested to see if they also have the mutation. Regardless, women who have a relative with a harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation and women who appear to be at increased risk of breast and/or ovarian cancer because of their family history should consider genetic counseling to learn more about their potential risks and about BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic tests. The likelihood of a harmful mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 is increased with certain familial patterns of cancer. These patterns include the following (15): For women who are not of Ashkenazi Jewish descent: • two first-degree relatives (mother, daughter, or sister) diagnosed with breast cancer, one of whom was diagnosed at age 50 or younger; • three or more first-degree or second-degree (grandmother or aunt) relatives diagnosed with breast cancer regardless of their age at diagnosis; • a combination of first- and second-degree relatives diagnosed with breast cancer and ovarian cancer (one cancer type per person); • a first-degree relative with cancer diagnosed in both breasts (bilateral breast cancer); • a combination of two or more first- or second-degree relatives diagnosed with ovarian cancer regardless of age at diagnosis; • a first- or second-degree relative diagnosed with both breast and ovarian cancer regardless of age at diagnosis; and • breast cancer diagnosed in a male relative. For women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent: • any first-degree relative diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer; and • two second-degree relatives on the same side of the family diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer. These family history patterns apply to about 2 percent of adult women in the general population. Women who have none of these family history patterns have a low probability of having a harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. SOURCE: National Cancer Institute