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Learning More and
Taking Action

Understanding and Managing Your Risk

For Cancer Survivors

Tell Us Your Story

Organizations

Background Information

Glossary

“How can we give a patient an accurate prognosis without knowing if she is genetically predisposed to getting another cancer? By using this simple diagnostic test we can save a patient's life by taking measures to prevent her from getting a second cancer.”

— Afshin Bahador, MD
Gynecologic Oncologist

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For Cancer Survivors

Learning More

If you have already had breast or ovarian cancer, knowing the answers about your inherited cancer risk can help you and your doctor make informed decisions about your risk reduction plan.

If it turns out that you do have HBOC along with a personal history of breast or ovarian cancer, you and your doctor may want to take stronger measures to prevent the possibility of developing another cancer—including risk-reducing medication or preventive surgery.

Even if you've already been diagnosed with cancer, testing for HBOC can provide important information about your risk for a second cancer, which can help your doctor determine the most effective medical management strategy for you.

What you learn can also provide information important to your family members, especially close relatives. For example, if you have a known HBOC mutation that increases the risk for cancer, there's a chance that your parents, brothers, sisters, children, or other relatives may have this mutation as well—in which case they, too, would have HBOC and a higher risk of developing cancer.

Prevention

You can work with your treatment team to manage and reduce your risk. If you're already diagnosed with cancer, the information testing may bring may guide your action plan and may help prevent a second cancer.

For more on prevention, see Taking Action To Prevent Cancer.

Women with BRCA mutations can reduce their risk of ovarian cancer by 60% when they've taken oral contraceptives for six years or longer.