Life Expectancy Gains From Cancer Prevention Strategies for Women With Breast Cancer and BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutations

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Abstract
Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes predispose women to both breast and ovarian cancers, often at young ages. Furthermore, women with breast cancer who carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) mutation develop second contralateral breast cancers and ovarian cancers at higher rates than do women with breast cancer who lack a germline BRCA1/2 mutation. For young women with breast cancer and high-penetrance BRCA1/2 mutations, the lifetime probability of developing a contralateral breast cancer may be as high as 65%, and the probability of developing ovarian cancer may exceed 40%.1,2 In comparison, young women with breast cancer who lack these mutations face approximate lifetime risks of 10% for contralateral breast cancer and 2% for ovarian cancer.3-7