How do you know if you have inherited a high risk for breast cancer?

Lately, the news has been full of the story of Angelina Jolie and her bilateral mastectomy. Jolie carried the mutation for breast cancer known as BRCA. There are two BRCA gene mutations, BRCA1 and BRCA2. Mutations mean the gene is changed from normal. These genetic changes have slightly different risks associated with them, but in general, women who have them carry around a 70 percent of developing breast cancer at some time in their lives and perhaps a 50 percent chance of ovarian cancer. About 5 percent of all women with breast cancer have this mutation. Of course one can have a high risk of developing breast cancer for genetic reasons and not have a BRCA mutation. There are probably many gene mutations that are responsible, but they are rare and we haven’t discovered most of them yet. So when should you begin worrying that you have some genetic risk of developing breast cancer and when should you get tested for the BRCA mutation? The first thing to know is that testing for the BRCA mutation isn’t cheap. Up to now, it cost about $3000 - $4000, because one company, Myriad Genetics had a “patent” on the gene. The Supreme Court ruled that one can’t have a patent on a natural product such as a gene, so other companies will begin testing for the gene. But, they are being sued by Myriad, who says the testing is still under a patent. So, for the near future, the price might not come down. Now most insurance companies pay for the test if you qualify, so let’s talk ab...
Source: Dr.Kattlove's Cancer Blog - Category: Oncologists Source Type: blogs