BRCA2: A Genetic Analysis

Inherited genetic mutations play a major role in about 5 to 10 percent of all cancers.

When I was given this ancestry project I automatically knew I wanted to figure out my family genetics and why I got cancer in the first place. I am the only child out of four in my family to get cancer. After digging into some history I found out that my mom, grandma, and uncle had cancer. It's weird how genetics work but I was basically doomed from the beginning. My grandma had breast cancer and had both her breasts removed. My uncle had stage four lung cancer and passed away shortly after diagnosis. And my mom had thyroid cancer only a few years ago and is a survivor. Since there is history of breast cancer in my family I had to get tested for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene, which is a mutated gene that is inherited from your family. This gene increases your risk of developing breast cancer to 50%, a one in two

Personally, I feel like BRCA1 may not predict cancer in the future because cancer cells are always evolving. Just because the BRCA1 marker can predict cancer now, it does not mean it can in the future. The makeup of cancer cells may very well change which means the BRCA1 gene mutation would also have to evolve to be able to make those same predictions. This is what makes viruses and cancer such deadly and scary diseases. They are always evolving and retailing against our cures and antibiotics. For example, take vaccines. You purposely inject a very small portion of a virus into your body so your body can learn how to fight out the virus before you get the real thing and become extremely sick. Cancer cells are able to evolve just like the cells

Women who are at the greatest risk are over the age over the age of fifty years of age. Patients with a family history of cancer, especially in their first degree relatives, may have inherited mutations of BRCA1 and/or BRCA2. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genetic mutations that put patients are risk for cancer. Patients that have a history of breast cancer are five times more likely of developing cancer in the opposite breast. Patients with dense breast are at risk for developing breast cancer due to the fact dense breast contains more glandular and connective tissue. Patients who are exposed to high doses of ionizing radiation to the thorax, early menarche, tobacco use, nulliparity, late menopause, and first child birth after thirty years of age put the patient at risk for breast cancer (Ignatavicius, 2013, p.

Breast Cancer is a type of cancer where in the breast cells growth are uncontrolled. To enhance our understanding of breast cancer, knowing how any cancer can develop is crucial. Cancer develops as a result of the alteration of the genes, or abnormal changes in the genes accountable for managing the growth of the cells and maintaining their health. In each nucleus, the genes operates as the “control room.” The cells in our bodies replace themselves through a process called cell growth in which the

This type of breast cancer begins in the milk ducts of the breast. At first, there are normal cells, but then a mutation occurs. Some kind of carcinogen damages and changes a couple of genes. The mutated genes associated with breast cancer are Genes BrCA1 and BrCA2. The

It was Monday March 17th, 2014 when I received a phone call from my grandma asking me to come visit her. That day is the day when I received the news that my grandma has been diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma breast cancer. My grandma and I are very close. Her diagnosis is what persuaded me to write my I- search paper on this specific breast cancer. One topic I am really focusing on when I write my paper is the genetic factors because its important to my family and I. Even though I began to research about the cancer when my grandma was diagnosed, there are still a lot of things I don’t know about and I’m interested to learn about within creating this paper. In this paper I will share with you the importance of invasive lobular

Breast cancer is a popular disease that many people are afraid of. It is the growth of altered genes that create malignant tumors starting in a female or male’s breast tissue. Cancer has a reputation of being caused by hormones, but that may not always be the case. Hormones are chemicals that work as chemical messengers in the body and affect the duties of cells and tissues. The ovaries in premenopausal and postmenopausal women usually produce the hormones, like estrogen and progesterone. The hormone estrogen develops and maintains the female sex features and progesterone have to do with women 's menstrual cycle and pregnancy. In a breast cancer cell, it

Such findings, all of which relate to hormone-based life events, suggest that breast cancer is somehow affected by prolonged exposure to female sex hormones, such as estrogen. Women with a history of breast cancer in the family are also at greater risk. About five percent of all breast cancers have been attributed to a mutated, or structurally altered, gene known as BRCA1. Mutations in a second gene, BRCA2, contribute significantly to the development of breast cancer in Jewish women. Alcohol, high levels of fat in the diet, and not exercising regularly have also been linked to increased risk for breast cancer (Garber).

For those who may inherit one copy of BRCA, they get a higher chance of getting cancer because they only need one more mutated BRCA to develop cancer.

Everyone has the genes BRCA1 or BRCA2. In inherited cases, these two genes are abnormal. They help maintain the breast cells to grow natural and repair cell damage. If the genes have mutations they are passed from generation to generation. Having an abnormal BRCA1 or BRCA2 doesn’t directly mean you will get breast cancer. SNP’s (single nucleotide polymorphisms) are linked to

Ovarian cancer incidence has shown a decreasing trend over the past two decades. According to the National Health Institute, incidence rates have decreased by 3.5% from 1992 to 2014 in the United States (“Cancer Stat Facts,” 2014). Numerous risk factors contribute to the incidence of ovarian cancer (Reid, Permuth, & Sellers, 2017). An earlier age of menarche in young girls and a later age of menopause in older women have both shown an increased risk due to more ovulation cycles. In relation to the number of ovulation cycles, increased parity relates to a decrease in incidence. Genetics plays a role as well, specifically with mutations to the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Much of the recent research studies center around Or (OCs) as preventive

Diseases can be acquired and hereditary. Ovarian cancer can be passed on or inherited and familial genetic syndromes account to 10% to 12% of the disease (Doubeni, Doubeni, & Myers, 2016). According to the National Cancer Institute (2016) that “women who have a family history of ovarian cancer and/or certain inherited gene changes, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene changes, have a higher risk than women who do not have a family history or who have not inherited these gene changes” (para. 6). Women who have the disease may not exhibit symptoms and often times are undiagnosed until the late stage or advanced

A family history of breast cancer may increase your risk of getting breast cancer. Although someone in your family has breast cancer does not mean you will have it too. About 75% of patients with breast cancer do not have a family history of breast cancer. Girls who have a menstruation before the age of 12 and women who has menopause after the age of 50 can increase your risk of cancer. Older women are at higher risk then younger women. Women over 40 who have there first pregnancy is at risk of getting the disease. White woman are more likely to get breast cancer than African-American women, but African-American women are more likely to die from cancer. Asian, Hispanic, and American Indian women have a lower risk of getting breast cancer then white or black women. According to a study, woman who takes birth control has a slightly greater risk of getting breast cancer. Most studies suggest that use of HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) for relief of menopause symptoms for more than 5 years may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer (Breast Cancer Statistics, 2008).

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer type in women, over fifty thousand new cases of invasive BC were diagnosed in the UK in 2013 (Cancer Research UK, 2016). It is well known that genetic abnormalities lead to cancer and three main groups of genetic predisposition alleles have been identified; high risk, moderate risk and low risk (Lalloo and Evans, 2012). Some high risk genes including BRCA1, BRCA2 and TP53 carry a 40-85% lifetime risk of developing BC (Lalloo and Evans, 2012). Development of cancer can also result from epigenetic alterations (Esteller, 2008). Epigenetics is defined as “the inherited genome activity that does not depend on the naked DNA sequence” (Esteller, 2011). Epigenetic modifications include changes in DNA methylation, histone