Should I have a BRCA test?
What are BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes?
BRCA1 and BRCA2 are examples of genes that raise your cancer risk if they become altered.
If you have a fault (mutation) in BRCA (“BRAH-kuh”) genes 1 or 2, your risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer is significantly increased. The genes also increase a man’s chance of developing male breast cancer and prostate cancer.
How common are BRCA genes, and what are their risks?
The faulty BRCA genes affect around 1 in every 300 to 400 people, but people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent are at a much higher risk (as many as 1 in 40 may carry the faulty gene).
Women with the faulty BRCA1 gene, have a 65-80% lifetime risk of breast cancer and a 35-50% risk of ovarian cancer before the age of 80. In other words, out of every 100 women with the faulty BRCA1 gene, between 65 and 80 will develop breast cancer in their lifetime and between 35 and 50 will develop ovarian cancer.
BRCA gene test
A BRCA gene test, will tell you whether you have inherited a gene change. If present, this change will make you more likely to get breast cancer – and for women, ovarian cancer also.
It involves taking a blood sample and sending it to a special laboratory.
Both men and women can inherit a BRCA gene change and pass it on to their children. Each child of a parent who carries the gene change (mutation) has a 50% chance (or 1 in 2 chance) of inheriting it.
Having a BRCA gene test may help you plan steps to lower your risk.
But. Should I have a BRCA test?
This is not a simple answer. But yes (probably) if you have:
- A personal history of breast cancer, especially cancer diagnosed before age 50
- A relative already diagnosed with a BRCA mutation
- One or more family members who’ve had breast cancer, especially male breast cancer
- Both breast and ovarian cancer
- Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry
- A personal or family history of multiple cancer diagnoses
- A family history of an inherited cancer predisposition disorder, such as Cowden syndrome, Fanconi anaemia, Li-Fraumeni syndrome or Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.
The test itself is simple. But the results – whether positive or negative – may have a big effect on your life. So you should think it through. A conversation with your GP is a good place to start.
Other resources
There is more information on BRCA gene testing, and its pros and cons here:
NHS website
USA’s National Cancer Institute.
