Does having a family history of breast cancer increase the risk of breast cancer?
Most women — especially younger women — believe that their own risk of developing breast cancer is higher than it actually is. Those with a family history of breast cancer also guess that their risk is much higher than it really is. A family history of breast cancer is the risk factor most known by women. Of all the women whose close relatives have had breast cancer, 80 90% are at no particular extra risk themselves; 5 15% have a familial (but not hereditary) risk that is somewhat elevated-but not by much; and five percent may be carriers of one of the specific gene mutations known to result in a high lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
