About 5% to 10% of breast cancer cases are thought to be hereditary, meaning that they result directly from gene changes (mutations) passed on from a parent. Women who have a significant history of breast cancer in their family are typically at higher risk of developing the disease. People who inherit breast cancer genes have increased risks of several cancers, most notably breast and ovarian cancer. The good news is that genetic tests are available so individuals can find out through a simple blood or saliva test if they have inherited harmful variants in one of these genes.

Dave chats with Solomon Moshkevich, GM of Oncology with Natera