Jun 5, 2009 1:16 pm US/Eastern
Gene Mutation May Signal Breast Cancer Risk
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Scientists have discovered two genes that may develop into breast cancer if they mutate. The genes are BRCA1 and BRCA2. According to the American Cancer Society, women with the specific gene alterations in these genes have up to an 85 percent chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime.
"All the women in my family on the maternal side were diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32. And my mother died at the age of 37," said Emily Alt. "It's so predominate in my family and we are all Ashkenazi Jews on both sides."
Alt like many young women are concerned about the risks of breast cancer, especially in light of the inherited mutated genes. But there are ways to know if you might have the gene mutation.
There are many questions doctors will ask to determine the possibility of a gene mutation.
First, have you been diagnosed with cancer under the age of 50; or has your mother, sister, or daughters been diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50 or ovarian cancer at any age? Have any women in your family had both breast and ovarian cancer?
And is your family of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, or have any males in your family had breast cancer.
Emily answered yes to some of these questions and now plans to be tested frequently. "I certainly don't want to play Russian Roulette with my life. And I want to be able to raise my kids and get married and live a long, happy life," Emily said.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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