A rare variant of the TP53 gene gives Tracy Hutchinson an extremely high lifetime risk of cancer throughout her body. This leads to ongoing anxiety and requires frequent whole-body MRI scans along with other regular screenings.
Multiple family members developed cancer in close succession. Hutchinson’s sister Rebecca was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 1990 at age 21. Their mother received a breast cancer diagnosis during the same period. Rebecca died in 1994. Their father later developed bowel cancer, and their mother was diagnosed with cancer in her other breast before oesophageal cancer led to her death in 2009.
In 2020 another sister was found to have fast-growing triple-negative breast cancer. Testing ruled out BRCA mutations but confirmed a TP53 variant linked to Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Women with this mutation have nearly a 100 per cent lifetime cancer risk, with a 50 per cent chance before age 30. The gene normally suppresses tumours but functions incorrectly in this syndrome.
Hutchinson tested positive in 2022 at age 47. She chose preventive double mastectomy, which revealed early cancerous changes. She joined an Australian trial using annual whole-body MRI scans. One scan detected a small benign brain tumour. She also undergoes yearly skin checks, blood tests, and biennial endoscopies and colonoscopies.
Her mother is believed to have carried a spontaneous mutation passed to her daughters. Hutchinson’s partner has provided steady support throughout her medical decisions.
