Sisters diagnosed weeks apart fight breast cancer together

The "Page Sisters," as some of their friends like to call them, found out soon after their diagnosis that they have the BRCA2 gene, a mutation that puts a woman at a much greater risk for breast and ovarian cancers.

BRCA mutations, which stands for breast cancer susceptibility gene, are most commonly found in women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, although some northern European populations also have a higher risk of inheriting one of the mutated genes.

Adam Cohen, a doctor at the University of Utah's Huntsman Cancer Institute, said the gene can increase the risk of breast cancer tenfold.

While it is possible that environmental factors played a role in their diagnosis, Cohen said the sisters' gene mutation likely had more of an impact on their health and is probably to blame for the diagnosis.

After the six-hour session, they experience a myriad of matching chemo side effects, including nausea, bloody noses, neuropathy and headaches.

Annette Page's cancer has spread to her lymph nodes, so unlike her sister, she will have to undergo radiation therapy next.