By Anna Mayor, College of Arts and Sciences
One vivid childhood memory stands out to Marleah Dean Kruzel, an associate professor in the Department of Communication: watching her mother undergo breast cancer treatment starting with 鈥渁 tiny lump鈥攂arely even noticeable.鈥�
She saw her mother endure breast surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and later a prophylactic
mastectomy and reconstruction.
Years later, while completing her PhD program, Dean Kruzel learned that she carried
an inherited mutation in the BRCA2 gene, prompting an increased surveillance program alternating between MRIs and mammograms
to detect cancer early.
鈥淚 quickly realized I was overwhelmed with uncertainty about my future and what it would bring,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his sparked my research program focusing on the communication of genetic risk information, managing uncertainty and making medical decisions.鈥�
Marleah Dean Kruzel, PhD, sharing her personal story for CDC鈥檚 Bring Your Brave campaign. (Photo courtesy of Dean Kruzel)
Dean Kruzel鈥檚 vast research expertise and personal experiences led to an invitation from the CDC in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month to deliver a virtual presentation for the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC) National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
During the seminar, Dean Kruzel explained how 鈥榩revivors鈥� 鈥� survivors with a predisposition to hereditary cancer who have not been diagnosed with cancer 鈥� are a group whose health experiences and needs often go unrecognized.
The term, coined by the nonprofit 鈥攐n which Dean Kruzel serves as a Scientific Advisory Board member, reflects a need 鈥渢o not dismiss the significant, ongoing stress and complex decisions facing these individuals.鈥�
Dean Kruzel noted that expanding access to genetic counseling and testing means more people are discovering their inherited cancer risks. While testing is often pursued to reduce uncertainty, 鈥渓earning about inherited cancer risks can create different kinds of uncertainty that must be managed over time.鈥�
鈥淲e need more support for previvors after receiving their positive genetic test results outside the clinical encounter,鈥� Dean Kruzel stressed.
Storytelling, she said, is a powerful part of that support.
鈥淧revivors are highly motivated to share their stories because they don鈥檛 want others to struggle making these difficult decisions,鈥� she added.
The nonprofit organization , where Dean Kruzel serves on the Scientific Advisory Board, is one example of how sharing lived experience can drive that change.
鈥淚n the context of inherited cancer risks, chronic uncertainty management is a life-long process,鈥� she said.
Dean Kruzel adds that for previvors pursuing long-term increased surveillance, 鈥減sychological distress ebbs and flows, and supportive care is needed across the life-span.鈥�
Learn more about Dean Kruzel鈥檚 and her story, as shared in CDC鈥檚 campaign, aimed to raise awareness of breast cancer among young women.