We have also learned that only 20-40% of the breast cancers that cluster in families come from BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline mutations – genetic alterations that are present from birth in every cell of the body and can be transmitted to the offspring. Increased breast cancer risk is also known to be associated with several inherited syndromes, such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a condition that is further associated with childhood onset of multiple malignancies including soft tissue sarcomas, leukemias, and brain tumors.