Environmental and Lifestyle Influences on Breast Cancer Risk: Clues from Women with Inherited Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2
Abstract
This project aims to identify potentially preventable environmental influences on breast and ovarian cancer by focusing on a population of women with genetically inherited predisposition to the disease. This study is an extension of our ongoing research into the genetics of breast and ovarian cancer among women of Jewish ancestry in the New York City area. The IDEA project focuses on female relatives of breast cancer patients with confirmed mutations in BRCA 1 or BRCA2. Each relative provides a blood sample for mutation testing and completes an extensive questionnaire addressing epidemiologic factors in breast cancer risk. Not all women with inherited BRCA mutations develop breast or ovarian cancer, and among those who do, ages at cancer onset vary widely, even in families. As such, comparing the experiences and exposures of women with mutations who develop breast or ovarian cancer vs. women with the same mutations who remain cancer-free may identify factors that ameliorate or exacerbate risk in this group of very high-risk women. Risk factors identified among genetically predisposed women also may be generalized to women without inherited vulnerability to breast or ovarian cancer, since inherited cancer is virtually indistinguishable, clinically and biologically, from its noninherited counterpart.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA389847
Entities
People
- Mary C. King
Organizations
- University of Washington