What are BRCA1 and BRCA2?
Scientists have recently discovered 2 genes that can cause a susceptibility or predisposition to breast cancer if they are altered in specific ways. These genes are called BRCA1 and BRCA2. The BR stands for breast and the CA stands for cancer, so the names literally mean, “breast cancer gene #1” and “breast cancer gene #2”. BRCA1 is a gene that is located on Chromosome 17 and BRCA2 is located on Chromosome 13. Many scientists believe that there is a BRCA3 gene that hasn’t been found yet. Scientists have discovered that one of the functions of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes is to suppress the growth of cancerous tumors in certain cells of the body (especially breast and ovary cells). When the BRCA1 gene loses its ability to communicate, it increases the risk of breast cancer. Women who have an alteration in BRCA1 have up to a 35-85% lifetime risk of breast cancer. There is also a 5-40% risk for ovarian cancer, which is of even more concern because screening for ovarian cancer is unreliable.
