Brest Cancer
How
Do Abnormal Genes Cause Cancer?
In
their normal form, BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes prevent breast
cancer by producing a protein that stops cells from growing
out of control. Every person (women and men alike) has two
copies of each of these genes in most cells in her or his
body.
As
long as at least one gene in each pair is working properly,
breast cells function normally. But if both copies of a
breast gene are abnormal, they no longer can stop abnormal
growth. In this case, breast cells multiply much more than
normal. And some can invade healthy tissue. The result is
what we call invasive breast cancer. (In non-invasive breast
cancer, cells grow too much but haven't started to invade
normal surrounding healthy tissue.)
All
breast cancers are caused by abnormal genes. The abnormalities,
or mutations, in the genes can be either inherited or acquired:
* Inherited genetic abnormality: Some people are born with
an abnormal gene passed on by a parent. They have one abnormal
gene from that parent and one normal gene from the other
parent.
* Acquired (or non-hereditary) genetic abnormality: A gene
can became abnormal as a result of wear and tear, through
an error in how the gene reproduces, or from a variety of
other factors—toxic exposure, environmental effects, diet,
hormonal influences, or unknown causes. Acquired genetic
abnormalities account for 85% to 90% of breast cancers.
Whether
you inherited an abnormal breast cancer gene or acquired
it, if you have one normal gene, that gene will still work
to control cell growth and prevent cancer. But if that normal
gene breaks down, for whatever reason, then cancer results.
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The information on this page has been extracted from http://www.breastcancer.org/genetics_abnormal_genes.html.
