In a new study of almost 70,000 women, including those with hereditary forms of breast cancer, breast cancer risk was higher in those with a family history of breast cancer. Interestingly, family history raised breast cancer risks the least in BRCA1 carriers and the most in PALB2 carriers. Additionally, the effect of other risk factors on breast cancer risk also varied across genes. This type of information to personalize risk estimates can help women to guide screening and prevention decisions. See table for additional details.
| Gene | N | Family History of Breast Cancer | Additional Non-Genetic Risk Factors* |
| BRCA1 | 374 | Minimal | Some influence |
| BRCA2 | 574 | ++ Influence | Minimal influence |
| CHEK2 | 531 | ++ Influence | Some influence |
| PALB2 | 211 | +++ Influence | Minimal influence |
| ATM | 405 | ++ Influence | Some influence |
| BARD1 | 89 | ++ Influence | Some influence |
| RAD51C | 81 | + Influence, but only at later ages | Seemed to have influence at both early and later ages |
*age, height, age at menarche, parity, age at first term, pregnancy, BMI, alcohol use, oral contraceptive use, age at menopause, and hormone therapy use
O’Brien, et al. JAMA Oncol. 2025;11(12):1458-1469. PMID: 41066089.
Article available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41066089/.
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