Hereditary breast cancer is extremely rare and is caused by a mutant gene passed from parents to their children. People who carry the mutant gene have a very high increased risk of developing breast cancer at some point in their lives. Hereditary breast cancer can come from a strong family history of breast cancer. For example, if your mother, sister and aunts had breast cancer, their offspring have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the gene.
In 1994, the first gene associated with breast cancer was found on chromosome 17. Two years later in 1996 another gene was identified on chromosome 13. In 1995 and 1996, there were studies done that sampled DNA. The samples revealed that Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jews are 10 times more likely to have the mutated genes. This means, that approximately 2.65 percent of Ashkenazi Jewish population has one of these mutated genes. But did you know that only 0.2 percent of the general population carries these mutation?
The only test for hereditary breast cancer is the DNA test. It will determine whether an individual is in a high-risk family that has this genetic mutation. However, the test will not tell if and when the cancer might develop. Most causes of breast cancer are not hereditary; it is possible to develop breast cancer whether or not a genetic mutation is present.
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