Familial breast and ovarian cancers

Breast and ovarian cancer develop independently of each other but share some genetic commonality. Definition and identification of hereditary breast cancer are very complex. Ovarian cancer can be inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern with variable gene penetrance, a site specific hereditary pattern, or a pattern of tumor combinations. Medical management of high risk individuals, follow-up, screening, and counseling needs are important issues to the woman and other family members.