Estimating Breast Cancer Risk

The average probability of developing breast cancer by age 70 is estimated at 57% to 59% for BRCA1 gene mutation carriers and 49% to 51% for BRCA2 gene mutation carriers.

  • Emphasis is on the word “average” because these estimates are based on data from families with a lot of breast cancer cases as well as families with very few breast cancers.
    • Previous studies that had only included families with many breast cancer cases had concluded that lifetime breast cancer risk was more in the range of 80% to 85%.

This illustrates an important point:

  • The risk conferred by a pathologic mutation in any breast cancer predisposition gene will vary widely by family:
    • This is most likely due to gene-gene interactions, which are the modifying effects of small differences (e.g., polymorphisms) in many different genes.

Average Lifetime Brest Cancer Risk for the Syndromes

Rodrigo Arrangoiz MS, MD, FACS
Cirugía General y Gastrointestinal
Michigan State University
Cirugía Oncológica
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Tumores de Cabeza y Cuello / Cirugía Endocrina
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Tumores de Cabeza y Cuello / Cirugía Endocrina
IFHNOS / Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Maestría en Ciencias de Investigación
Drexel University
Certificado por el Colegio Americano de Cirugía
Fellow del Colegio Americano de Cirugía
Fellow de la Sociedad de Cirugia Oncológica  

Sociedad Quirúrgica S.C.
Hospital ABC Santa Fé
Av. Carlos Graef Fernández #154

Consultorio 515
Col. Tlaxala, Delg. Cuajimalpa
México, D.F. 05300
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