Myth: If you have a family history of breast cancer, you are likely to develop breast cancer, too
Here’s the truth
While women who have a family history of breast cancer are in a higher risk group, most women who get breast cancer have no family history. According to the American Cancer Society, “about 5% to 10% of breast cancer cases are thought to be hereditary, meaning that they result directly from gene changes (mutations) passed on from a parent.”
However, there are things you need to be aware of regarding breast cancer family history.
- If you have a first-degree relative with breast cancer: If you have a mother, daughter, or sister who developed breast cancer below the age of 50, you should consider some form of breast imaging starting 10 years before the age of your relative’s diagnosis. For example, if a mother is diagnosed with breast cancer at age 43, her daughter should begin receiving screening mammograms at the age of 33.
- If you have a second-degree relative with breast cancer: If you have had a grandmother or aunt who was diagnosed with breast cancer, your risk increases slightly, but it is not in the same risk category as those who have a first-degree relative with breast cancer.
- If you have multiple generations diagnosed with breast cancer on the same side of the family, or if there are several individuals who are first-degree relatives to one another, or several family members diagnosed under age 50, the probability increases that there is a breast cancer gene mutation contributing to the cause of this familial history. If this is the case for you, doctors recommend getting tested for breast cancer gene mutations, such as the BRCA gene.
Sources:
American Cancer Society