Breast Cancer Tips

Information About the Breast Cancer Gene

How Breast Cancer Genes Cause Disease

BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, the breast cancer genes, were discovered in 1994. They were found to correlate with an increased risk of breast cancer. Scientists began to study the gene more closely, and we now that when these genes are working properly, they help repair damage to a cell's DNA. Mutations in these genes may keep cells from making these necessary repairs, leading to misread DNA and malfunctioning cells that become cancerous. The mutated forms of these genes can be passed down from parents to children. If you have a family history of breast cancer and fear you carry the breast cancer gene, don't panic. Find and read all the information you can on the breast cancer gene and its implications. Keep in mind that inherited genetic mutations linked to breast cancer only account for 5-10% of cancer cases.