Women who have developed breast cancer or who has a family history of the disease are advised to also watch out for signs of ovarian cancer. This important piece of information must reach the ears of all women who are either suffering from breast cancer or have a family history of it and are therefore run a greater risk of developing the disease. Should women with breast cancer really worry about ovarian cancer as well? Studies were conducted not only on whether it is necessary, but also on what the women should do about it. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the breast cancer genes and the mutations of these genes cause breast cancer in some patients. But even those women with no mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes seem to develop the disease. So, obviously there is a link here, and there might possibly be another gene involved here. And what risk do these genes pose for ovarian cancer? Should women worry bout it and what can they possibly do about it? The findings suggest that though the risk is small, there is a definite link between breast cancer and ovarian cancer, women with breast cancer need to look out for signs of ovarian cancer as well. Earlier research suggested that when a woman carries one of the two breast cancer genes, BRCA1 or BRCA2, she is at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer as well. The risk is almost 60 times more than that of the general population. Geneticists even advise the removal of ovaries after childbearing in women who have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. The general consensus seemed to be on presuming that the patients who have breast Cancer may also be at risk for ovarian cancer as well and initiate strategies to reduce risk either through screening or preventative surgery. But now, new research has shown that breast cancer patients without the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation may not be at increased risk for developing ovarian cancer. This news comes as a relief for those women who were initially thought to be high risk for developing ovarian cancer and were considering removal of ovaries and the uterus. Now with the new research finding, such drastic preventative measures seem unnecessary. There is still ongoing research to understand the risk of inherited breast cancer and the genes unidentified as yet. Though there is a small risk of increased ovarian cancer for breast cancer patients, it definitely does not warrant aggressive preventative surgery.
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