Is there genetic testing available for the breast cancer gene?
Genetic testing is available for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Most breast and ovarian cancer is not caused by inherited mutations, so genetic testing will not help most women with a family health history of breast and ovarian cancer.
What happens if you test positive for BRCA gene?
A positive test result indicates that a person has inherited a known harmful variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2 (these are typically called “pathogenic” or “likely pathogenic” variants on laboratory test reports) and has an increased risk of developing certain cancers.
How accurate is genetic testing for breast cancer?
Genetic testing is not 100% accurate. If a test is negative, a person still has a chance of getting breast cancer. If the test is positive, there is still a 15% to 20% chance of not getting breast cancer. Genetic testing is costly, ranging from about $400 to more than $3,000, depending on the type of test.
Which parent carries the breast cancer gene?
Everyone has two copies of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, one copy inherited from their mother and one from their father. Even if a person inherits a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation from one parent, they still have the normal copy of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene from the other parent.
How much does it cost to test for the BRCA gene?
Without insurance, BRCA testing can range from roughly $300 to $5,000 or more, depending on copayments, coinsurance, lab fees, and more.
Does breast cancer usually skip a generation?
Do breast cancer genes skip a generation? Inherited breast cancer genes cannot skip a generation. If a person has inherited a gene that causes breast cancer, they have a 50% chance of passing it on to their children.
Can fathers pass breast cancer gene?
Men are just as likely as women to have an abnormal breast cancer gene. If they have an abnormal gene, men are also just as likely to pass it on to both their daughters and their sons.
What is considered a strong family history of breast cancer?
Two or more first– or second-degree relatives from the same side of the family with breast cancer, if at least one breast cancer was diagnosed before age 50.
Does breast cancer come from mother or father’s side?
Although breast cancer is more common in women than in men, the mutated gene can be inherited from either the mother or the father.
Can you inherit breast cancer from your father’s side?
Having a first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with breast cancer almost doubles a woman’s risk. Having 2 first-degree relatives increases her risk by about 3-fold. Women with a father or brother who has had breast cancer also have a higher risk of breast cancer.