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Cancer is a disease of the genes. Most cancers develop as a
result of genetic damage or a mutation that happens sometime
during a person's lifetime. These are called sporadic cancers.
These types of mutations only affect the cells that grow from
the original mutated cell. The risk of developing cancer is
higher in people who are born with certain genetic defects that
are passed on from their parents and found in every cell in
their body. These defects occur in areas of the DNA that affect
cell division, cell death, and the repair of damaged DNA.
Cancers that result from DNA damage that is passed on are called
hereditary cancers. They account for about 5 to 10 percent of
all breast cancer cases. The likelihood of breast cancer being
hereditary is linked to your age at the time of diagnosis. The
younger you are, the more likely the cancer is hereditary. The
National Cancer Institute describes genes as "nature's
blueprints for every living thing." G