Breast cancer, the most common cancer in women, makes up roughly 30% of new female cancers each year. The American Cancer Society reports nearly 317,000 new breast cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2025, with more than 42,000 women dying from the disease.
A significant amount of these cases is due to genetic mutations from parents passing defective genes down to their children.
"We inherit DNA material from our parents, both mother and father, and sometimes these genes can have a defect," says Jamin Addae, MD, a breast surgeon with OSF HealthCare. "This means the gene would not work very well, like a normal gene would."
A significant family history of breast cancer is found in about 25% of patients with the disease. Up to 10% of all persons with a new diagnosis of breast cancer will have an “identifiable genetic mutation” that caused or increased the risk of developing breast cancer, Dr. Addae says.
"For women with male relatives who have prostate cancer, these women in the family may have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. The gene mutation could increase the risk of several types of cancer, for instance in the case of BRCA 1 mutation, it increases the risk of breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers,” Dr. Addae says. “Males in the family may not develop any cancers ("silent carriers) or may develop prostate cancer if they have the gene mutation. They can then pass this defective gene to their daughters who would later develop breast cancer. The disease itself is not what is passed down to the child, it is the defective gene that increases the risk of breast cancer that is passed down"
Several gene mutations can be passed down from parent to child.
These gene mutations can increase your risk of developing breast cancer significantly over an 85-year lifespan, Dr. Addae says.
So how do you know if you have a gene mutation? Most of the time, you wouldn’t.
"With BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, you might have people in your family with prostate cancer, breast cancer or ovarian cancer. With this combination of cancers and young people developing these cancers, that serves as a red flag, which tells you with this strong family history, there might be something going on,” he adds.
To qualify for genetic testing, Dr. Addae says medical professionals must follow specific guidelines first.
- You don't have breast cancer, but you come to your oncology team with a strong family history of cancers.
- There are people with known mutations in your family.
- You come with a diagnosis of breast cancer under the age of 50 (some guidelines say 65).
- You have triple-negative breast cancer.
- You have Stage 4 breast cancer. Genetic testing might show your cancer team certain types of helpful treatment that are only available for people with that type of gene mutation.
- You have other family members with breast, prostate or ovarian cancer, and you develop breast cancer.
Additionally, Dr. Addae says there are modifiable risk factors, or things we can control, that increase the risk of breast cancer.
- Waiting longer to have a child
- Taking oral contraception
- Post-menopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy
- Radiation for certain cancers (like lymphoma): Dr. Addae notes that if the medical team deems radiation for lymphoma necessary, it’s important to receive the treatment
- Post-menopausal weight gain
There are proactive things you can do to decrease your risk of breast cancer as well
- Cut out smoking
- Decrease the amount of alcohol you drink
- Know your family history
Making an appointment with your doctor for a screening, along with self-examination of your breasts, are good ways to keep an eye on things, Dr. Addae adds.
For more information on breast cancer and programs and services available, head to the OSF HealthCare website.