Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer - CDC Features - Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer

Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer

Having a family history of breast and ovarian cancer affects a woman's risk for developing these diseases. Learn about hereditary risk, and whether you might benefit from cancer genetic counseling and testing.

Know Your Family History

All women should collect and record their family history of breast and ovarian cancer. Update your family history on a regular basis and let your doctor know if more cases of breast or ovarian cancer occur. You should collect the following information about both your mother's and father's sides of the family:

* Number of close relatives with breast or ovarian cancer: mother, sister(s), daughter(s), grandmothers, aunt(s), niece(s), and granddaughter(s)
* Ages when the cancers were diagnosed
* Whether anyone had cancer of both breasts
* Breast cancer in male relatives
* Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish ancestry

Collect your family history using the My Family Health Portrait
External Web Site Icon tool.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, affecting about 200,000 women in the United States each year. About 7 out of 100 women (or 7%) will get breast cancer by age 70; about 1 out of 100 women (or 1%) will get ovarian cancer by age 70. While ovarian cancer is less common, it is much harder to detect and often more serious. Most breast and ovarian cancers occur in women after the age of 50.

Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancers are Rare

* Most breast and ovarian cancers are not hereditary. Your risk of developing these cancers may be increased by aging, the environment, and lifestyle.
* Only about 5-10% of breast and ovarian cancers are considered to be hereditary. These cancers are the result of inherited changes in single major genes, such as the breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. Hereditary cancers often affect several family members, and occur at young ages.

Family History Clues

You may be at increased risk of inheriting changes in the BRCA1/2 genes if your family history includes one or more of the following:

* Several relatives with either breast or ovarian cancer
* Breast cancer at a young age (under 50)
* A relative with cancer of both breasts
* A relative who had both breast and ovarian cancer
* A male relative with breast cancer
* Ashkenazi Jewish Ancestry and any relative with breast or ovarian cancer
* A relative with a known BRCA1/2 genetic change

Understanding BRCA Genes

BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) are genes that normally protect you from getting certain cancers. Women who inherit a change in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene have a much higher risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer. But, important steps can be taken to help lower the risk for cancer in these women. Note that not everyone who inherits a BRCA1/2 change will get breast or ovarian cancer.

IMAGE
http://www.cdc.gov/features/HereditaryCancer/HereditaryCancer_A.jpg


Women in the U.S. General Population
Icon: A woman. About 7 out of 100 women in the U.S. general population will get breast cancer by the age of 70
Icon: A woman. About 93 out of 100 of these women will NOT get breast cancer by age 70


Women with a BRCA1/2 Genetic Change
Icon: A woman. About 50 out of 100 women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic change will get breast cancer by the age of 70
Icon: A woman. About 50 out of 100 of these women will NOT get breast cancer by age 70


IMAGE

http://www.cdc.gov/features/HereditaryCancer/HereditaryCancer_C.jpg

Women in the U.S. General Population
Icon: A woman. About 1 out of 100 women in the U.S. general population will get ovarian cancer by the age of 70
Icon: A woman. About 99 out of 100 of these women will NOT get ovarian cancer by age 70


Women with a BRCA1/2 Genetic Change
Icon: A woman. About 30 out of 100 women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic change will get ovarian cancer by the age of 70
Icon: A woman. About 70 out of 100 of these women will NOT get ovarian cancer by age 70

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CDC Features - Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer