New ACOG Guidelines Recommend Routine Genetic Risk Assessment

Some families are at particularly high risk of cancer due to hereditary cancer syndromes. These families often have multiple family members with cancer and are more likely to develop cancer at a young age. In the case of breast and ovarian cancers, inherited mutations in two genes—BRCA1 and BRCA2—have been found to greatly increase the lifetime risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Mutations in these genes can be passed down through either the mother’s or the father’s side of the family. The lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is estimated to be 39-46% among women with a BRCA1 mutation and 12-20% among women with a BRCA2 mutation. Lifetime risk of breast cancer among BRCA1 or BRCA2 carriers is 65-74%.[1]

An estimated 1 in 300 to 1 in 800 people in the United States have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. Questions about personal and family history of breast and ovarian cancer can help identify women who are at increased risk of carrying a BRCA mutation.