Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer

Abstract

Prevalence of germline BRCA mutations has been estimated to be about 1:1,600 women in the general population. Rate of BRCA1/2 mutations in Ashkenazi Jews population is 98-99%. Rate of BRCA1/2 mutations in Russian population is high – 28.4%. The average woman's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is about 12%. In women with the BRCA1 mutation, the risk rises to about 72%, and in women with the BRCA2 mutation, to about 69%. They are also at a higher risk of getting cancer of a second breast after the first - the risk of developing contralateral breast cancer is about 40%.