BRCA mutation

Common card · No. 331935

A BRCA mutation is a mutation in either of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are tumor suppressor genes. Hundreds of different types of mutations in these genes have been identified, some of which have been determined to be harmful, while others have no demonstrated deleterious effect. Harmful mutations in these genes may produce a hereditary breast–ovarian cancer syndrome. Women with harmful mutations in either BRCA1 or BRCA2 have a risk of breast cancer that is about five times higher than normal, and a risk of ovarian cancer that is about ten to thirty times normal. BRCA1 mutations are slightly more common than BRCA2 mutations, and the risk of breast and ovarian cancer is higher for women with a harmful BRCA1 mutation than with a BRCA2 mutation. Harmful BRCA mutations, which disable an important DNA repair process, significantly increase a person's risk of developing certain cancers, especially cancers of the breast, ovaries, fallopian tubes, peritoneal tissue, prostate, and pancreas...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Mikael Häggström, M.D. Author info - Reusing images - Conflicts of interest: None Mikael Häggström, M.D., CC0