Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) is associated with potentially harmful mutations in breast cancer susceptibility genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2), and sometimes mutations in other genes. About 50 out of 100 women with a BRCA gene mutation will get breast cancer by the time they turn 70 years old, compared to only 7 out of 100 women in the general United States population. [Source: CDC website]
The importance of knowing and sharing your Family Health History.
Your family health history is a record of diseases and conditions that run in your family, especially among close relatives. A family history of breast and ovarian cancers can increase a woman’s risk for developing cancer.
You may share similar genes, habits, and environments that can affect your cancer risk. Learning about and sharing your health history with your family and telling your doctor about your family's health history are important.
Not only does knowing your family health help you identify risk, but knowing your family history also helps you and your doctor decide if genetic counseling or genetic testing may be right for you. Even if genetic counseling and testing are not recommended for you, everyone needs to know their family history.
Knowing your family health history may also help you identify risk for other common diseases, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or heart disease!
Web Resources to Learn About Hereditary Cancer
- Visit the DPH Genomics webpage for more information and to download a Family Health History Workbook.
- Learn about family health history and how it affects cancer risk, a CDC resource webpage.
- Complete an online family health history using a web-based tool provided by the Surgeon General’s Office.
- The American Cancer Society has information on Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome (HBOC) on its website.