Family History Drives Cancer Risk in BRCA Test Groups

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Lifetime cancer risk is modified by family history in women who undergo BRCA1 or BRCA2 testing, and those who test negative may still face a greater risk for cancer if they have a family history of cancer, according to a study published online July 30 in JAMA Network Open.Fahima Dossa, M.D., Ph.D., from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and colleagues estimated the lifetime incidence of breast and ovarian cancer among women undergoing BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing in a retrospective cohort study. Overall, 6,966 individuals eligible for breast cancer analyses were matched to 34,830 individuals from the general population, and 13,276 individuals eligible for ovarian cancer analyses were matched to 66,380 individuals.The researchers found that the cumulative incidence of breast cancer to age 80 years was 62.1 and 66.1 percent for BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers, respectively, compared with 12.0 percent in the general population; the corresponding incidence of ovarian cancer was 56.0 and 29.3 percent versus 1.5 percent. Breast cancer risk was modified by family history, reaching a cumulative incidence of 86.3 versus 55.8 percent in carriers with at least two affected first-degree relatives versus carriers without a family history of breast cancer. Lifetime risk for ovarian cancer was similarly modified by family history, reaching 64.2 and 38.2 percent, respectively, in those with and without family history of ovarian cancer. Lifetime breast cancer risks were also increased in individuals with variants of uncertain significance and negative test results (31.2 and 26.3 percent, respectively), but no increase was seen in ovarian cancer risk."Based on these findings, a physician might recommend more frequent mammograms or breast magnetic resonance imaging to a BRCA-positive patient in their 50s or 60s with no family history of breast cancer, but suggest preventive mastectomy as an option for a young BRCA patient with several cases of breast cancer in the family,” Dossa said in a statement.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Family History Drives Cancer Risk in BRCA Test Groups

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