In the United States, the risk of breast cancer appears to be slightly higher among Jewish women than among other women [78]. This increased risk is likely related to the high prevalence of certain genetic mutations in Jewish women of Eastern European decent (Ashkenazi Jews). About 2.5 percent of Ashkenazi Jewish women carry a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene [79-81], and these mutations confer a very high risk of breast cancer. For women with a BRCA1 mutation, however, the lifetime risk of breast cancer ranges from 60 to 90 percent. And, for women with a BRCA2 mutation, estimates range from 30 to 85 percent [10-14].
For more information on genetic mutations, click here.
Updated 10/16/09
