High-risk clinic and genetic testing

A man with a BRCA2 mutation has between 5-10% chance of developing breast cancer. If he has a BRCA1 mutation the chance of disease is even less, about 1%.

For a “normal” woman– one without BRCA mutations or any other major risk factor – the lifetime chance of developing breast cancer is 11.1%. If she has a BRCA mutation, the probability can increase to as much as 80-85%.

The risk of breast cancer in men is much lower than that in a woman. The speed of the disease spreading once it develops, however, is much higher.

Despite its low numbers, breast cancer risk in men is a reality.

If you have a strong family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, you might want to make an appointment at a genetic clinic for a genetic test to find your risk of developing the disease.
This decision will be important not only for you, but also for your relatives, especially children and grandchildren, to whom you can transmit or might already have passed the mutation.

If you have a clinical history of breast cancer, the genetic test can also identify its origin, and determine if it is or is not hereditary, including if there is risk of transmission to the next generation.

To take a genetic test, however, can have consequences, and raise emotional and personal issues that you might not be ready to confront.

It is important that you understand the risk and benefits of doing the test, and your doctor at the genetic clinic is the right person to help you make the decision that is best for you.

Despite the implications, to learn what is your and your relatives’ disease risk carries important advantages, such as close monitoring by doctors specialized in early disease detection.

Learn more about this in the section  Familiar risk .