I might have avoided ovarian cancer if I lived in England not Wales

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. I might have avoided ovarian cancer if I lived in England not Wales49 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleJenny ReesWales health correspondentBBCHeather Morgan says having ovarian cancer has "changed everything"Had Heather Morgan lived in England when she was diagnosed with breast cancer 12 years ago, she feels there is a good chance she would never have gone on to develop ovarian cancer. But her postcode - eight miles (12km) west of the English border, in Monmouthshire - meant she was not eligible for a test which would have revealed that her genetics put her at a much greater risk of developing the secondary cancer. In 2014, patients in England with triple negative breast cancer who were under 50 - as Heather was - were immediately put forward for genetic testing.

But in Wales, they were not. If Heather had had the test, she said it would have prompted her to have both ovaries removed pre-emptively. "I am mad annoyed," said the 59-year old.

The Details

"It's changed everything," she added, explaining that statistically her 10-year survival chances are 35%. The Welsh government said a minister for preventative and public health had been appointed to address issues like this and there would be an emphasis on improving early detection in a cancer plan for Wales. It was not until 2021 that a visible lump in Heather's abdomen prompted further tests, and she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

She then learned that she had the BRCA1 gene mutation, putting her at a greater lifetime risk of both breast and ovarian cancer. "Had I been tested we would have immediately known I was at high risk for ovarian cancer," she said. "I would have immediately had my ovaries removed.

It would have been a no-brainer. "And if they'd have said to have a double mastectomy at that point, I would have. "Heather was 46 at the time and has kept the letter from the all-Wales genetic testing service telling her why she was not eligible.

What Experts Say

In essence, it explained the Welsh government of the day was committed to meeting NICE guidance within the financial year, but at the time work was still being done to increase capacity for testing. By 2015 the rules in Wales had changed to align with England, but by then Heather had finished her treatment and was not invited for the test. "If I'm going to the supermarket and I've gone a bit over budget I'll think, why save money?

What's the point, you'll be dead next week, just buy it," said Heather. "Something came through the post about retirement homes - am I going to live that long? Should I be worrying about that?

"Heather now supports the National Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline, a charity which gives advice to people with inherited cancers to make them better aware of the options and rules. The helpline recently opened an information centre in Flint, north Wales - its first in the country - and is also now branching out to offer support for the cancers associated with BRCA gene mutations.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.