ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Faced with an almost certain chance of developing breast cancer later in life, a Miss America contestant has decided to have both of her breasts removed as a preventative measure in hopes of avoiding the disease.

After competing in Saturday night’s Miss America contest, 24-year-old Miss District of Columbia Allyn Rose is going to have both breasts removed to reduce her chances of developing the disease which killed her mother, grandmother and great aunt.

“So she’s making the choice, do I go with routine screenings, which may not be adequate since the risk is so high for the breast cancer which is life-threatening and difficult to treat, or to do something very aggressive which is the bilateral mastectomies?” Dr. Michael Naughton, with Siteman Cancer Center, explained.

Rose said in a recent interview that “to have the genetic predisposition and this family history, I want to be around for my children.”

Naughton says a double mastectomy is a reasonable choice for a woman who has a strong family history of the disease or the genetic markers of breast cancer but not for women who are at average risk of breast cancer.