Women are dying from breast and ovarian cancer due to a lack of testing for a gene that increases the risk of getting these diseases.

A report by the Ovarian Cancer Action charity has found the NHS are missing the opportunity to use the BRCA method as a cancer prevention strategy.

Of those diagnosed with ovarian cancer, 29 per cent are not offered BRCA (Breast Cancer susceptibility) testing, which could inform their treatment and enable them to warn other family members who may also be at risk from the faulty gene.

Aimi Munro had preventative surgery so she'd be around to see baby Rae grow up

About 15 per cent of cases of ovarian cancer are linked to BRCA, which means the test could potentially save the lives of more than 1000 women a year in the UK.

Some women are unaware of the test and some doctors won’t give it unless they know of a family history of cancer .

The BRCA gene can also increase the risk of men getting prostate cancer and both sexes developing pancreatic cancer.

Aimi Munro, 34, from Dundee , was just six when she lost her 35-year-old mum to breast cancer.

Aimi’s grandmother and her granny’s sisters all died from ovarian cancer before they reached 40.

Aimi Munro lost her mum to cancer when she was just six years old

The mum of one plucked up the courage to have the test in 2013 after she heard singer Michelle Heaton talking about the rogue gene.

Within months of learning she carried it, Aimi had a double mastectomy.

Given her family’s history of ovarian cancer, her specialist also urged her to seriously consider having a hysterectomy.

At the time, she had no children, so Aimi and her partner Kevin Swayne, 31, decided to try for a baby immediately.

Fortunately, she got pregnant quickly. Their daughter, Rae, turns one next month.

Aimi had the preventative surgery seven weeks ago.

She said: “When I had my mastectomy, all the pathology came back fine and they put in implants.

“The hysterectomy, while it was a no-brainer, was still one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to go through.

“I am so grateful for my daughter but I just can’t put into words how heartbreaking it is knowing that I will not be able to have any more children.

“There is a 50 per cent chance Rae will be a carrier as well but at least I know I will be here to support her through anything in the future.

“I didn’t have my mum or my gran to support me.”

Ovarian Cancer Action chief executive Katherine Taylor

“I think it is really important if you have a really strong family history to get checked out.”

This is a message Aimi hammers home when she does talks for the Coppa Feel breast cancer charity.

She said: “It is surprising how many people do not know anything about BRCA and not everyone wants to be tested.”

Those who carry the faulty gene have a 50 per cent chance of passing it on to their children.

Ovarian Cancer Action chief executive Katherine Taylor said: “Every eligible woman who has been denied testing and goes on to develop ovarian cancer represents a cancer
prevention failure.

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“Treatment for ovarian cancer lags behind other, better known, cancers and survival rates remain low.

“BRCA testing is one of our strongest weapons in the fight against this disease.

“It is unbelievably important for eligible men and women to have access to testing and that they receive support in making the right decisions for themselves and their families.”