Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 Essay

Heredity also plays a role in the development of cancer. If a person’s relatives have a history of cancer, then that person has a higher risk of developing cancer. Genetic variations, particularly those influencing how the body responds to carcinogens, may create a greater vulnerability to cancer.

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.

Braca 2 is a mutation for breast and ovarian cancer, which means not only is there higher risk of getting breast cancer but ovarian cancer also at a much younger age and for men this gene presents its self in the form of breast cancer and prostate cancer.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations and breast cancer seem to be distributed among a variety of populations.

Today BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genetic markers that are believed to show scientists which humans have precursors to cancer. These genetic mutations and the test to identify it was originally going to be patented by a company called Myraid Genetics, but this patent was shot down by the Supreme Court as it was not necessarily innovative rather it was something already existing in the human body. (Conley pg. 657-658) Yet, even with this breakthrough discovery there is a question on if the BRCA mutations link to cancer is solid fact. So, the question arises, do we think that in the future BRCA1 may not be the genetic marker that predicts cancer. Personally, I do think so. In You May Ask Yourself by Dalton Conley they discuss something called “changing

The beginning of cancer begins with defects in the cells DNA. When cancer starts, the cell goes through the p53 gene, a gene

As stated in the original post the BRCA1 gene mutation is a genetic marker that predicts cancer now, however it may not be a marker that predicts cancer in the future. Through the use of social imagination, we are able to see how this current gene mutation may no longer be an indicator of cancer. We can see this by using GMO products as an example, before GMOs were created growing enough food was becoming a challenge under the conditions that were being used to grow the crops. As a result, the genes of crops were modified in order to meet the demands under the limitations of the growing environment. By using the similar logic, the BRCA1 gene is one that possesses undesirable traits at the current moment. Therefore, the BRCA1 gene could be genetically

I believe this scenario is slightly simplistic, as I am not aware that the BRCA1 gene mutation only has implications for developing breast and/or ovarian cancer, and has no other synergistic effect on other disease causation. We can have many genetic factors which may predispose us to a particular disease, but

Men are capable of developing breast cancer too, however they are much less likely; only 1 in 1000 men will develop breast cancer over their lifetime. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women, second to lung cancer. The two most significant risk factors for developing breast cancer are a person’s gender (being female) and a person’s age (being older, 60+). Women are 100 times more likely to develop breast cancer than men. Women who have a first degree relative that has been diagnosed with breast cancer are at nearly double the risk of developing breast cancer. While inherited abnormalities account for only a small percentage of breast cancers, a person’s risk is still increased if they do inherit these gene mutations from their mother or father. The two most common mutated genes that are inherited are the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. A woman who inherits a BRCA1 mutation has a 55-65% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. If a woman inherits a BCCA2 mutation they are at a 45% lifetime risk. For men, an inherited BRCA2 mutation is associated with nearly a 7% lifetime risk. Both of these put one at a much higher risk for developing breast cancer as opposed to not having either of these mutations. Other risk factors that put a person at an increased risk for developing breast cancer include obesity, nulliparity (women who have never been pregnant or borne a child), early menarche or late menopause (due to the longer exposure to hormones; estrogen and progesterone), lifestyle (sedentary or heavy alcohol exposure), and previous treatments with birth control pills, combined post-menopausal hormone therapy, or radiation

In our world full of diseases, illnesses, and infections, Cancer is such a shared disease that it is no disbelief that numerous families have at slightest a few members who have cancer. Cancer a syndrome people may perhaps partake in their genetic factor. Cancer is roughly capable of establishing just about anywhere in the body. It is the abnormal cells in one’s body which develop uncontrolablly that cause cancer. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. Cancer is something that progresses in the body when the irregular cells block out the standard cells and preserves them from undertaking their job accurately. Customary cells in our

Question #1 The first primary genetic consideration is that the risk for ovarian cancer is 8%-24% for women with a BRCA mutation. This also implies that any child a woman with this mutation has, will have a 50% chance of inheriting the BRCA gene because they are autosomal dominant genes. (Norris, Spelic, Snyder, & Tinley, 2009, p. 73) A second primary genetic consideration is that BRCA genes are autosomal dominant genes, which means that these genes are equally likely to be passed on to a female or a male child from a parent with a BRCA mutation (Norris, Spelic, Snyder, & Tinley, 2009, p. 73).

Cancer has been shown to have higher risks at an older age. We are not born with a certain type of cancer. The chances are usually higher in our 50’s. In the gene mutation theory, it is said that cancer should be seen in newborns. Although, this is not likely since the baby will not receive all six of the mutations needed to have the diseases. Another thing about cancer is that carcinogens will not cause cancer right away. It takes time for it to occur. Carcinogens do not necessarily cause mutations in genes, but they do influence the chances of aneuploidy.

For most male patients presenting to practitioners with a breast lesion, the diagnosis will likely be benign. In the event that the patient may have breast cancer, there are specific risk factors to consider. The family history is an important factor when determining a patient’s risk not only in female breast cancer, but males as well. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes work to restore damaged DNA and prevent them from developing atypically. The BRCA2 mutation is a genetic factor that increases this likelihood of

The BRCA1 gene mutation is a human gene that produce tumor suppressor proteins. These proteins help repair damaged DNA and play an important role in ensuring the stability of the cells genetic material. This is important because if the damaged DNA is not repaired properly and is mutated, these mutated cells are more likely to develop additional generic alterations that in turn can lead to cancer. In my opinion, I think that the BRCA1 gene mutation may not be able to predict breast cancer in the future because as time goes on, and we advance in medical technology and we understand more and more about this type of cancer, it will start to become more treatable and we will be able to predict and tell the signs of breast cancer a lot quicker than

Genetic alterations may be inherited from parents if the changes are present in the reproductive cells of the body such as eggs or sperm. In this case the changes, dubbed 'germline changes', are found to be in every single cell of the offspring. When the egg is fertilized by the sperm, a zygote is formed which divides to create a fetus. This fetus develops into a baby but because all of the cells within this body came from the first cell, they all share the same mutation or mutations. Inherited mutations are believed to be a direct cause of only a small portion of cancers.