BRCA Mutations
BRCA and breast cancer risk
BRCA is commonly known as the breast cancer susceptibility gene. BRCA and its mutations can affect your chances of developing breast cancer.
Two variations, BRCA1 and BRCA2, are linked to a person’s risk of getting breast cancer. Everyone has the BRCA genes, but only when one or both of the genes have mutations is there a higher risk for breast cancer. Fortunately, having the BRCA mutation does not guarantee that you will get breast cancer.
The mutated BRCA genes can be inherited. If you have one, your risk of getting breast cancer is five times higher. Normal risk for breast cancer is one in eight women; with the gene mutation, the risk rises to four in five women. However, mutations are relatively rare in the general population, with only 5-10 percent of breast cancers in the U.S. related to the BRCA mutation.
Saint Joseph Health System’s Genetic & Risk Assessment Center can help you determine if you have the BRCA mutation and what to do.
Consider getting cancer genetic testing if any of these factors are present on either side of your family history:
- Anyone in the family with ovarian cancer
- Two or more first-degree relatives (mothers, sisters, daughters) with a history of breast cancer
- Any first-degree relative diagnosed with breast cancer at or before age 50
- Three or more first- and second-degree (grandmothers, aunts) relatives who develop breast cancer
- Any first-degree relative with a history of cancer in both breasts
- Any first- or second-degree relative with a history of both breast and ovarian cancer
- Breast cancer in any male relative
The BRCA1 gene mutation also increases a person’s risk for ovarian, pancreatic, cervical, uterine and colon cancers. With the BRCA2 gene mutation, risk is increased for ovarian, pancreatic, prostate and melanoma cancers.
Contact our Genetic & Risk Assessment Center today if you have any of the above risk factors and are concerned about the possibility of having a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation.
To schedule a mammogram at the Paqui and Brian Kelly CBC, call 574.797.9185 or schedule online.