A fan of the blog asked me a great question this week – “What are the differences between BRCA 1 and BRCA 2?” I’m listing some main bullet points below and there are some great articles if you want to learn more – here, here, here, and here.
- BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 both increase the risk for breast and ovarian cancer
- BRCA 1 is more commonly associated with triple-negative breast cancers & BRCA 2 is more commonly associated with estrogen receptor positive breast cancers
- BRCA 1 may have a slightly higher risk of ovarian cancer than BRCA 2
- BRCA 2 may be associated with increased risk for prostate, melanoma, and pancreatic cancers. A new study may link BRCA 2 with an increased risk for lung cancer.
- Men can inherit both the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 mutation
- The risk to inherit both the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 mutation is significantly higher in the Ashkenazi Jewish population
Funky Genes 