
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer affecting women worldwide, and it is the most common cause of cancer death in women.
deCODEme can calculate your genetic risk for Breast Cancer.
Dr. Michael Kinney talks about genetic tests and Breast Cancer
Dr. Owen Winsett talks about genetic tests and Breast Cancer
Dr. Owen Winsett talks about preventive approach in medicine
Genetic factors play a contributing role in the majority of breast cancer cases.
If diagnosed early, most cases of breast cancer can be treated successfully.
Increase your breast cancer awareness with the deCODEme genetic risk test for breast cancer
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women
In the United States, approximately one in twelve women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. Most women have a friend, a co-worker, or a close relative who has experienced breast cancer first-hand and not surprisingly, many women fear this disease the most.
Early diagnosis increases chances of successful treatment
The good news is, that if diagnosed early, breast cancer can be treated very successfully. Over 90% of women diagnosed in the earliest stages of breast cancer go on to lead normal, healthy lives after treatment. Early diagnosis of breast cancer and treatment are crucial in the management of breast cancer.
Genetic factors contribute to the risk of breast cancer
Genetic factors contribute significantly to the risk of developing breast cancer. You may have heard of the high risk genetic variants associated with breast cancer and ovarian cancer found in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Although much researched and widely known, these are very rare variants, present in only 2-5% of breast cancer patients.
Common genetic variants play a role in most breast cancer cases
There are several, more common, genetic variants that play a role in a much larger proportion, if not all breast cancer cases, but carry less risk than the BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants. Currently, eleven common genetic variants are known to increase the risk of developing breast cancer in people of European descent: two on chromosomes 2 and 5 and one on each of the following chromosomes: 1, 3, 8, 10, 11, 14 and 16. A variant in the ESR1 gene on chromosome 6 contributes to the risk of breast cancer in East Asians but not people of European descent (see scientific details).
Knowing your family history is not enough
While each of the common genetic variants on its own, is associated with only a small increase in breast cancer risk, if a woman inherits many, or all of these variants, the combined risk can be high (up to an almost fourfold risk compared to the general population). Tracing combinations of these common breast cancer risk variants through family history may however be difficult.
Herein lies the informative value of the deCODEme genetic scan; Empowered by the knowledge of your genetic risk of breast cancer, you may become better prepared to select, along with your doctor, the many preventive actions and lifestyle choices now known to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.
deCODEme calculates your genetic risk for breast cancer
The deCODEme Complete Scan identifies the 11 common genetic variants listed above and provides interpretation of their associated risk for developing breast cancer in women of European descent. For women of East-Asian descent the deCODEme Genetic Scan calculates genetic risk associated with the five variants listed above that have been validated in this population, including the ESR1 gene variant. At the present time no risk estimation data are available for people of other ethnicities for the common variants included in the deCODEme genetic risk scans.
Please note that the deCODEme genetic scan does not test for the rare BRCA1 or BRCA2 variants. If you have close relatives with early onset breast cancer or ovarian cancer, the possibility of a BRCA mutation should be discussed with your doctor.
What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer is an uncontrolled growth of breast cells
Breast cancer, like other cancers, is cell growth gone haywire. Breast cancer can be defined as a malignant tumor that starts from breast cells and usually begins either in the cells of the breast lobules, which are the milk-producing glands, or the ducts, the passages through which milk flows from the lobules to the nipple. The different types of cells in these tissues give rise to different types of breast cancer, depending on where in the breast the cancer originates.
If untreated, breast cancer can spread to other parts of the body
Over time, and if untreated, breast cancer cells may invade the surrounding healthy breast tissue and reach the nearby underarm lymph nodes that connect with the body´s entire lymphatic system. If breast cancer cells make their way to the lymph nodes, or invade blood vessels, they soon find their way to other parts of the body and can cause cancer growth there, for example in the bones or liver. This is a serious cancer development known as metastasis.
Stages of breast cancer
There are different stages of breast cancer, defined according to various characteristics, such as the size of the tumor, whether the breast cancer cells are found within the initial tumor only (non-invasive breast cancer), or have started invading other tissues (invasive breast cancer). Furthermore, whether lymph nodes are involved and how far the cancer has spread beyond the breast. The earlier breast cancer is diagnosed, the more likely it can be treated successfully.
Treatment options for breast cancer
Treatment options for breast cancer depend on various factors including:
- The type of breast cancer
- The stage of breast cancer
- Hormonal factors
- How fast the breast cancer tumor is growing
- Age at diagnosis, general health, and menopausal status (whether a woman is still having menstrual periods)
- Whether the breast cancer is new (first diagnosis) or whether it is a recurring breast cancer
Men can get breast cancer too
Men can also develop breast cancer, however cases of male breast cancer are very rare. The deCODEme genetic test for breast cancer calculates genetic risk for female breast cancer only.
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‘We have the ability to test someone’s genetic risk… and then make clinical decisions based on that genetic backdrop.’
Amy L. Doneen A.R.N.P.,
Nurse Practitioner
`Empowered by a greater understanding… I have become even more proactive about prevention`
Anna Peterson,
deCODEme customer
‘I have lots of cholesterol problems, but it’s not from my lifestyle… most of my problems are hereditary.’
Cheryl Click,
deCODEme customer







