If you can read this, then your browser cannot interpret Javascript. To take full advantage of what this Web site has to offer, please make sure that you have Javascript enabled in your browser preferences, or update to a browser that supports Javascript. Thank you.

Learning More and
Taking Action

Understanding and Managing Your Risk

For Cancer Survivors

Tell Us Your Story

Organizations

Background Information

Glossary

“Genes themselves do not cause disease—genetic disorders are caused by mutations that make a gene function improperly.”

— National Library of Medicine,
National Institutes of Health

Tell a Friend | HBOC News | Site Map

Could I Inherit a Risk of Cancer?

People with certain factors in their family and personal history should consider whether they have an inherited risk of developing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC). Start with:

Family History and Personal History
Checking My HBOC Risk
Discussing Your Family History and Personal History With Your Doctor

Family History and Personal History

When it comes to thinking about your chances of developing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC), it's important to consider your family history. If you aren't sure exactly how you're related to a particular family member, or whether they had breast or ovarian cancer, discuss it with other family members. If you know your family history of cancer, your discussion with your doctor will be that much more valuable.

Checking My HBOC Risk

Consider both your father's and mother's side of the family. Do you have a family or personal history of any of the following (check only if your answer is Yes):

You have checked "Yes" to one or more questions that identify common features of Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC). You may have a greater-than-average risk for breast and ovarian cancer.

Understanding your cancer risk is the first step in managing it. Be ready to talk and to take action. Print this page, which includes your quiz questions and answers, and take it to your doctor to begin discussing whether you are at risk for HBOC.

A test can help confirm if you have hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome. For more information, please visit BRACnow.com.

You did not check any of the boxes above that identify common features of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

If you still have concerns about your family or personal history of cancer, print this page, which includes your quiz questions and answers, gather more information about cancers in your family, and be ready to talk with your doctor.

Get Your Results Print Your Results Reset

Print this page and discuss it with your doctor.

Print Your Results

Discussing Your Family History and Personal History With Your Doctor

You can take action today by following these easy steps to find out if you're at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer:

Talk with your doctor. Share your family history and ask whether you may be at risk for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC)
Take action. Based on your personal or family history, taking a test could be your next step

“In women with BRCA mutations or other hereditary risk factors, breast cancer tends to occur at a younger age, and the lifetime risk for cancer is higher than the general population. Therefore, screening tests that might not be appropriate for women of average risk may be recommended for those in the high-risk category.”

— FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered, Inc.

The general population risk of developing breast cancer by age 50 is 2%. Women with BRCA mutations have a 33% to 50% risk of developing breast cancer by age 50.

	Breast cancer before age 50?
	Breast cancer in 2 or more relatives?
	Breast cancer in a male relative?
	Breast cancer in both breasts or twice in the same breast?
	Breast cancer and Ashkenazi, or Eastern European Jewish, ancestry?
	Ovarian cancer at any age?