Breast and ovarian cancer are topics of concern for many women, regardless of their family history. The National Cancer Institute reports that almost 200,000 cases of breast cancer and 25,000 case of ovarian cancer are diagnosed annually in the United States. While the majority of these cancers are not caused by inherited risk factors, about 10 percent are hereditary and linked to a genetic mutation. The month of October – National Breast Cancer Awareness Month – is a good time to evaluate your risks and ensure you taking necessary precautions to prevent or detect cancer early.
The risk of breast cancer increases as a woman ages. Most breast cancer is found after the age of 50. If you live to 90, your risk of developing breast cancer is one in eight or about 13 percent, even with no family history. Therefore, all women over age 40 should be screened for breast cancer with annual mammograms, even if they have no family history.
Breast cancers that develop in women with strong family histories are known as familial breast cancer and account for approximately 25 percent of all cases of breast cancer. In some instances, family members may have an even higher risk of breast cancer than expected due to an alteration or mutation in their genes, which is called hereditary breast cancer. The lifetime risk in a patient with these altered genes could be as high as 87 percent.