Cancer is a global pandemic all its own. The factors that contribute to the development of cancers can be environmental or genetic.  Some cancers disproportionally affect one gender group over the other. Breast cancer is one such cancer affecting more women than men. Breast cancer also runs along family lines. Mutations in the 12 genes have been long associated with the increased risk of developing breast cancer in those with a family history of the disease. However, USNEWS^[1] reports on a new study^[2] that shows that inherited mutations in these genes are also linked to increased risks for breast cancer in those with no family history. The American Cancer Society estimates that out the 276,000 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed last year 5% of those patients had inherited gene mutations. The new study conducted looked at 64,000 patients split into two groups, those with cancer and those without. Results found mutations in “about 5% of women with the disease and in 1.63% of those without. Fergus Couch, a pathologist at the Mayo Clinic who led the study reports that based on these results “that 2% of the women walking around in the United States might have mutations in these genes.” ³Furthermore, he reports that more studies will be needed to clarify how this information will be used to treat and prevent breast cancer in the future. 

^[1] Marchione, Marilynn .New Studies Clarify Which Genes May Raise Breast Cancer Risk. USNEWS;https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2021-01-20/new-studies-clarify-which-genes-may-raise-breast-cancer-risk (Associated Press 2021).

^[2] Chunling , H. et al. A Population-Based Study of Genes Previously Implicated in Breast Cancer. New England Journal of Medicine; https:// doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2005936.(2020).