Should You Get Tested for the BRCA Gene Mutations?

 

Should You Get Tested for the BRCA Gene Mutations?

The BRCA gene, or BReast CAncer gene, plays an essential role in repairing your body’s DNA. When there’s an abnormality in these genes, however, it greatly increases your risk of developing certain cancers – most notably breast and ovarian cancer.

With genetic testing, you can find out if you carry this mutation and what that means for you or your family members.

What Is the BRCA Gene?

There are two types of BRCA genes: BRCA1 and BRCA2. Both genes are responsible for producing proteins involved in repairing DNA damage. Each person has two copies of each BRCA gene – one from each biological parent.

“One copy is normal and totally doing its job, and the other copy might be not working because it contains a mutation,” says Dr. Judy E. Garber, the chief of the Division of Cancer Genetics and Prevention at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Genetic mutations occur when there is an error during the cell division process.

“Every time a cell divides, which is happening in your body all the time, they have to completely reproduce their DNA so that one copy can go into each of the two daughter cells,” Garber says.

These processes make mistakes, but the body has evolved to fix those errors.

"BRCA1 and 2 are very important to fixing errors in the DNA," Garber adds.

However, if those errors are not repaired, they can lead to the development of cancer.