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Family History

A guide to hereditary or 'familial' breast cancer

Breast cancer is a common disease. One in nine women in the UK will develop it at some point in their lifetime, so it is not unusual to have one or two members of your family who have had breast cancer by chance.

Breast cancer that runs in families is known as hereditary or familial breast cancer and is thought to be caused by a faulty gene.

Only a very small amount of breast cancer (5-10%) is due to inherited factors. For most people, increasing age is the greatest risk factor.

In recent years three main genes that are linked to breast cancer have been identified.

These genes are known as:
* BRCA1 (breast cancer 1)
* BRCA2 (breast cancer 2) 
* TP53 (tumour suppressor protein 53) 

There may also be other breast cancer genes that have not yet been found. If you have a fault in either BRCA1, BRCA2 or TP53, it can increase your chances of getting breast cancer.

However, having a faulty gene does not mean you will definitely develop breast cancer.

Passing on breast cancer

If your mother or father carries a faulty gene she will also have a normal copy.

This means that you have a 50:50 chance of inheriting the faulty copy and a 50:50 chance of inheriting the normal copy.

If you inherit the faulty copy you have a 50:50 chance of passing it on to your children. If you don't inherit the faulty gene you cannot pass it on to your children.

If you do have a faulty gene you are at a greater risk of developing breast cancer (assessed up to age 85) but it is not definite that you will.

For more information on Breast Cancer in Families go to Breast Cancer Care

Further advice can be obtained from Breast Cancer Care Contact: Breast Cancer Care – Tel 0808 800 6000 or Email: info@breastcancercare.org.uk

PLEASE NOTE: This article is for information only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical care and we would always advise you to check with your doctor if you have any concerns about your condition or treatment.
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