Plastic Surgeon Discusses Call for Testing Ahead of Breast Cancer Month

    AUSTIN, TX, September 21, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dr. Mahlon Kerr of Synergy Plastic Surgery (www.synergyplasticsurgery.com) says calls for wider genetic screening for breast and ovarian cancer that have been making headlines recently raise an important issue, which he's also scheduled to address during a special upcoming event. For October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Austin plastic surgery specialist will offer his insights for a cancer support group at a film screening.

Dr. Kerr, a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in cosmetic breast surgery and breast reconstruction in Austin, will speak after a screening of the movie "Decoding Annie Parker," a feature film based on the true story of Dr. Mary-Claire King, who discovered the BRCA1 gene that is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.

A support group called FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), for patients with an increased genetic risk for developing breast cancer, invited Dr. Kerr to speak after the film.

Dr. King, whose work on the BRCA1 gene is dramatized in the movie, was named this month as one of the winners of a major medical science award that is considered the American equivalent of a Nobel Prize. She used the spotlight to call for all American women age 30 or older to be screened for genetic mutations that can cause breast or ovarian cancer.

"You only need to be tested once, and the vast majority of women will not have a mutation and can go about their life. The actual cost is minimal," Dr. King said in an interview with The New York Times. "But women who do learn they have a mutation ... can begin to think about what that means and be referred to a high-risk clinic" to develop a prevention plan.

Dr. Kerr and his Synergy Plastic Surgery clinic are active members of the breast cancer community. A founding member of the Breast Cancer Resource Center's Lotus Circle in Austin, he frequently cares for women who need emergency breast cancer treatment and reconstruction.

"As a plastic surgeon who works closely with these patients and their cancer doctors, I'm honored that FORCE has asked me to speak at its special event," Dr. Kerr says. "On a daily basis, we pride ourselves on welcoming breast cancer patients into our 'Synergy family' and offering the most current and reliable techniques available."

Dr. Kerr says it's unfortunate that some breast cancer patients don't realize how far reconstruction techniques have come. The results, he says, can be similar to those he achieves for breast augmentation with implants at his Austin practice.

"That's likely one of the topics I'll address at the screening -- reconstruction options," Dr. Kerr says. "Awareness is a major issue, and I want to spread the word so breast cancer patients know their options before they decide on a treatment route."

The film screening is set for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Alamo Drafthouse.

Dr. Mahlon Kerr (www.synergyplasticsurgery.com) is a plastic surgeon in Austin, Texas, who offers numerous cosmetic and reconstructive procedures for the face, body and breasts. After receiving his medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Kerr went on to complete a general surgery internship at the University of Nevada Department of Surgery in Las Vegas and a 5-year combined plastic and reconstructive surgery residency at the University of Utah Division of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Kerr has given many national and international presentations on his research. He is an attending plastic surgeon at several Austin-area hospitals and a member of the Texas Medical Association.

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