Previvor: Definition & Support
What is a Previvor?
The meaning of the word "previvor" is a "survivor of a predisposition to cancer." Previvors are people living with an inherited mutation who have never been diagnosed with cancer.
The term includes people with an inherited mutation, a family history of cancer, or some other factor that increases their risk for cancer.
Previvors have medical options to manage their cancer risks. These include:
- enhanced screening to find cancer early and at its most treatable stage.
- medications, lifestyle changes and other approaches to lowering cancer risk.
- surgery to remove organs at high risk before cancer develops.
- clinical research studies that are testing new ways to manage risk.
Genes linked to hereditary cancer risk
Check out our list of genes to learn more about the risks and recommendations for previvors in each selected gene.
Cancer risks and management guidelines vary by gene, therefore, it's important to know which mutation you have. A genetics expert can help you understand more about your gene mutation.
More Previvor Resources
Enroll in Prevention Research
Search for detection and prevention studies enrolling previvors.
When is Previvor Day?
Previvor Day is the last Wednesday of September or the first Wednesday of October.
Read Previvor Stories
Previvor Decisions: Losing the Ability to Breastfeed
by Cori Berg Finding out I carry a BRCA2 gene mutation that greatly increases my risk for breast cancer, I made the decision to have a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. I recognize others have walked different paths with their breasts—fought...
Genetic Testing: A Key to Men’s Cancer Prevention
For most of my life, I thought cancer prevention for men was straightforward: don’t smoke, eat a healthy diet and exercise, reduce stress and sun exposure, and get regular medical checkups. I assumed genetic testing for inherited cancer risk was...
Rebuilding Self Trust as a Previvor: How ESCAPE to THRIVE Helped Me Claim My Place in Advocacy
by Devon McGarry I arrived at the ESCAPE to THRIVE leadership conference—a small, immersive retreat hosted by Bag It at Miraval Arizona Resort—with a question in the back of my mind: Where do previvors fit? Where do I fit? Escape to THRIVE...