FAQ: What is the risk of breast and ovarian cancer in healthy carriers of the BRCA gene mutation?

• Carriers of the BRCA1 mutation in Israel have a 75% risk of developing breast cancer by age 80, and a 50% risk of developing ovarian cancer by age 75.
• Carriers of the BRCA2 mutation have a 69% risk of developing breast cancer by age 80, and a 50% risk of developing ovarian cancer by age 75.

Compared to women in the general population, these risk levels are extremely high. Generally, women are at a 13% risk of developing breast cancer, and a 1.4% risk of developing cancer during their lifetime.