It is almost October, and while many of us associate October with orange and black, October is also a very pink month. October is breast cancer awareness month, and breast cancer risk has been shown to be associated with family history, among other things. I knew that there was a connection between family history and breast cancer risk but I did not know exactly how it worked so I decided to find out.
Some cases of breast cancer are associated with mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene. These genetic mutations do not guarantee that a person will develop breast cancer, only that their risk is increased as compared with other people in whom those genes are not mutated. It is interesting to note that only about five to ten percent of breast cancer cases in the United States are caused by inherited risk factors such as the genetic mutation described above. Spontaneous gene mutations are responsible for far more cases than inherited mutations are.
Since some cases of breast cancer are caused by inherited mutations, it is very important to understand how those mutations affect an individual’s breast cancer risk. Genetic counselors can test women with a family history of breast cancer to determine whether they have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. There are a few factors that can point to an increased risk of having one of these mutations including being diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of fifty, having a mother, sister, or daughter who was diagnosed with breast cancer before age fifty or was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at any time, and a few other things. Understanding more about breast cancer risk and taking steps to assess our risk as an individual is one thing that we can do to take care of ourselves and our families. If you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, be sure to let your health care provider know about it so that they can help you determine your risk.
Photo by pickle on morguefile.com.