Genetic testing to check for breast and ovarian cancer

Genetic testing is done to check for the risk of having a harmful mutation in the BRCA gene which can cause breast or ovarian cancer. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene plays an important role in fighting cancer since these are tumor suppressor genes. These gene checks the breasts cells and ovarian cells to keep them from dividing uncontrollably and any kind of harmful mutation in these genes means an increased risk of developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer. BRCA gene mutation can cause various types of cancers like breast cancer, male breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, and pancreatic cancer.

People who are at a higher risk of developing or inheriting this type of gene are:

• People who have a personal history of breast cancer before the age of 45.
• Who has a personal history of ovarian cancer, triple-negative breast cancer diagnosed before the age of 60.
• Who have a history of prostate cancer and also have some relatives with BRCA related cancers.
• Who has a relative with known BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.
• Who has a family that might carry a gene mutation of breast cancer or ovarian cancer.

What are the risks that are associated with this genetic testing?

As this genetic test is done based on results from DNA obtained from your blood sample there are no major medical risks other than the slight side-effects like lightheadedness, bruising, or bleeding after extraction of the blood sample.