[BRCA1 and BRCA2 have reached the clinical medicine. The 10-year old finding of the genetic mutation makes it now possible to prevent breast cancer]

Abstract

Increased knowledge of breast cancer genetics has improved the possibilities to predict the future risk of a woman to be diagnosed with breast cancer. In certain families, presymptomatic testing of breast cancer susceptibility genes may be offered, leading to an even more accurate individual risk prediction. As a result, advice regarding follow-up and risk reducing measures may be given to the individuals with the highest risks of cancer. Preventive surgery drastically reduces the risk of having breast or ovarian cancer respectively. The value of increased controls in hereditary high risk women is insufficiently investigated. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the efficacy of chemoprevention in women at a very high risk of breast cancer, e.g. mutation carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2.