While life under quarantine appears sweet for Pierce Brosnan, 67, seen here “golfing with my son Paris, 19, at The Makai Princeville…7th hole,” on Instagram, the pandemic’s ongoing threat — and the safety of his family and others — remains his top priority.
Read MoreOvarian Cancer Heartbreak
Brosnan is no stranger to loss. His first wife, Cassandra, died of ovarian cancer in 1991 at age 43. He’d put his career on hold to care for her during her four years of treatment for the disease. "From day one, we really had a fight on our hands,” Brosnan has said of her disease. “This wasn't a shadow or a small tumor this had invaded Cassie's being."
Her death was devastating to him. "There is an incredible cruelty in it all, losing a person you shared everything with," he told PEOPLE in 1992. "This is the first time in my life I've ever experienced bereavement, and it's overwhelming."
"I was in a helpless state of confusion and anger," he told PEOPLE, of his long period of grief. He shared this memory of Cassie (above), photographed with Roger Moore, after Moore's 2017 death. Cassie appeared in the Bond film, "For Your Eyes Only."
A Genetic Link?
Cassandra’s mother had also died of ovarian cancer. And in 2013, Cassandra’s daughter, Charlotte, 42, lost her battle with ovarian cancer as well.
Brosnan, who had adopted Charlotte after her father’s death, remembered her fondly as “Marley May” with a “Here’s looking at you, kid” on her recent birthday.
He credits Keely Shaye Smith, his wife of 26 years with restoring his happiness.
Dr. Ursula Matulonis of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute says patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer should undergo genetic testing for BRCA mutations.
The link between the ovarian cancer deaths of Brosnan's first wife, Cassandra, her mother, and their daughter is likely due to a shared BRCA gene mutation.
His story underscores the importance of genetic testing for all women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, regardless of age, the type of ovarian cancer, or family history.
Ovarian Cancer And The BRCA Gene Mutation
"We know that women who have no family history of ovarian cancer still can have the BRCA mutation," says Dr. Ursula Matulonis, Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
"All women with ovarian cancer, at time of diagnosis — not at recurrence, but at the time of diagnosis — should undergo genetic testing regardless of family history, the patient's age and histology," says Dr. Matulonis.
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Dr. Beth Karlan, gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Medical Center did not treat Cassandra or Charlotte, but advises genetic testing can have life-saving benefits, especially because ovarian cancer is curable in over 90 percent of cases when diagnosed early.
A recent study found that too few women are being tested for mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene. Both place those who carry the mutation at a heightened risk for breast cancer or ovarian cancer.
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Ovarian cancer usually develops in women who are post-menopause. But younger women can also face the disease. A woman who inherits the BRCA1 gene has a 44% lifetime risk (by age 80) for developing ovarian or fallopian tube cancer and 70-80% risk of developing breast cancer.
With the BRCA2 gene, the risk for ovarian and fallopian tube cancer is 17% higher, while the breast cancer risk is around 70%. Women should consult with their doctor, rather than relying on home genetic test kits to identify BRCA genes.
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