About Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancers

Key points

  • If you are a woman with a family health history of breast or ovarian cancer, you may be more likely to get these cancers.
  • Sharing your family health history information with your healthcare provider can help you find out if you’re at higher risk and take steps to lower your risk.
three women hugging

Overview

Each year, about 240,000 women in the United States learn that they have breast cancer and more than 18,500 find out that they have ovarian cancer. While most of these cancers happen by chance, some are hereditary, meaning that they are caused by genetic changes (called mutations) which are passed down in families.

Effective medical options are available for women at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancers that can make them less likely to get these cancers. Because of this, all women should learn about their family health history of breast and ovarian cancers to know if they could be at risk for these cancers.

The first step to find out if you are at risk is to collect your family health history of breast and ovarian cancers and share this information with your healthcare provider. If your family health history shows that you could be at risk for these cancers, your healthcare provider may refer you for genetic counseling and genetic testing.

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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP); Cancer