breast cancer fact of the day ...

Although rare, younger women can also get breast cancer. Just five percent of all breast cancers occur in women under age 40 [17]. Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer at younger ages may have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation. These genes are important in the development of breast cancer. Women who carry defects on either of these genes are at greater risk of breast and ovarian cancer. For BRCA1 carriers, the chance of getting breast cancer ranges from 60 to 90 percent. And for BRCA2 carriers, estimates range from 30 to 85 percent [18-22]. So while the risk of breast cancer is generally much lower for younger women, there is still a high risk for some.