Breast Cancer Risk in Identical Twins

Rodrigo Arrangoiz MS, MD, FACS, FSSO
  • Lifetime breast cancer risk is 13% for identical twins of breast cancer patients compared to 9% for dizygotic twins
  • Twin studies are important because they help us understand the contribution of genetics to risk stratification in various populations
  • Other twin studies have estimated that:
    • 12% to 30% of breast cancer is primarily genetic in origin
  • In a recent update on cancer risk in the population of twins in Nordic countries:
    • The familial breast cancer risk was 28% for monozygotic twins and 20% for dizygotic twins at a median follow-up of 32 years
  • Thus, a minority of breast cancers are directly attributed to germline genetics and only 5% to 10% are thought to be due to inheritance of mutations in major autosomal dominant breast cancer predisposition genes
  • References
    • Baker SG, Lichtenstein P, Kaprio J, Holm N. Genetic susceptibility to prostate, breast, and colorectal cancer among Nordic twins. Biometrics. 2005;61(1):55-63.
    • Lichtenstein P, Holm NV, Verkasalo PK, Iliadou A, Kaprio J, Koskenvuo M, et al. Environmental and heritable factors in the causation of cancer–analyses of cohorts of twins from Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. N Engl J Med. 2000;343(2):78-85.
    • Locatelli I, Lichtenstein P, Yashin AI. The heritability of breast cancer: a Bayesian correlated frailty model applied to Swedish twins data. Twin Res. 2004;7(2):182-191.
    • Mucci LA, Hjelmborg JB, Harris JR, Czene K, Havelick DJ, Scheike T, et al. Nordic Twin Study of Cancer (NorTwinCan) collaboration. familial risk and heritability of cancer among twins in Nordic countries. JAMA. 2016;315(1):68-76.
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Published by Rodrigo Arrangoiz MS, MD, FACS, FSSO

My name is Rodrigo Arrangoiz I am a breast surgeon/ thyroid surgeon / parathyroid surgeon / head and neck surgeon / surgical oncologist that works at Center for Advanced Surgical Oncology in Miami, Florida. I was trained as a surgeon at Michigan State University from (2005 to 2010) where I was a chief resident in 2010. My surgical oncology and head and neck training was performed at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia from 2010 to 2012. At the same time I underwent a masters in science (Clinical research for health professionals) at the University of Drexel. Through the International Federation of Head and Neck Societies / Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center I performed a two year head and neck surgery and oncology / endocrine fellowship that ended in 2016. Mi nombre es Rodrigo Arrangoiz, soy cirujano oncólogo / cirujano de tumores de cabeza y cuello / cirujano endocrino que trabaja Center for Advanced Surgical Oncology en Miami, Florida. Fui entrenado como cirujano en Michigan State University (2005 a 2010 ) donde fui jefe de residentes en 2010. Mi formación en oncología quirúrgica y e n tumores de cabeza y cuello se realizó en el Fox Chase Cancer Center en Filadelfia de 2010 a 2012. Al mismo tiempo, me sometí a una maestría en ciencias (investigación clínica para profesionales de la salud) en la Universidad de Drexel. A través de la Federación Internacional de Sociedades de Cabeza y Cuello / Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center realicé una sub especialidad en cirugía de cabeza y cuello / cirugia endocrina de dos años que terminó en 2016.

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