All of a sudden I have a strong family history

KathyL624

My maternal aunt had LCIS/ILC Stage 1 8 years ago at age 45. Last year, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 IDC at age 38. Now a year later, my mom has what looks like Stage 1 IDC (she's just starting her journey). My aunt tested negative for BRCA, and I tested negative for BRCA and numerous other gene mutations (I believe 25 total). Waiting on my mom's results....

My questions is, does such a strong family history make it more likely that I will recur? Could it be that my cancer was actually more aggressive/concerning because of this family history even though I tested negative for the gene mutations?

mustlovepoodles

Could be. There are probably rare genes that have yet to be discovered. I have the PALB2 & Chek2 mutations. They are rare and only discovered about 4 years ago.

MTwoman

Kathy,

" Could it be that my cancer was actually more aggressive/concerning because of this family history even though I tested negative for the gene mutations?"

Your cancer cells were tested for their specific characteristics based on their cellular structure and features (ER/PR, HER2 etc) and nodal involvement; that is how they determine its aggressiveness. You could certainly schedule a consult with your MO to discuss the implications of your Mom's diagnosis.

KathyL624

Thanks, you're right. I had positive clinical features and a low oncotype. I will certainly talk to my MO, though! Am very worried this means I have a great chance of recurrence...for some reason I am sure my mom will be ok, but it's me I am worried about again.

KathyL624

Mustlovepoodles, how do the gene mutations you have factor into your prognosis? Are you more likely to recur or were you just more likely to develop breast cancer in the first place?

farmerlucy

I asked the Johns Hopkins "Ask The Expert" site about the increase chance of recurrence re: family history. She said the biology of the tumor determines recurrence risk. My onc on the other hand thinks I'm at greater risk due to not only my moms and maternal aunts premenopausal BC, but all the cancers in general in the family tree. I had the multigene tests too, but nothing known showed up.

mustlovepoodles

Kathy, my genetics specialist put my risk at 45%+, pre-diagnosis. Now that i have had BC that automatically puts me into a higher risk catagory for future breast cancer. I'm not sure what the statistics are for recurrence in the general BC population, but she suggested that my personal risk is 2-3 times that. . But having these gene mutations definitely means that my body doesn't work like it should to prevent malignant tumors from developing. (Incidentally, I am also on surveillance for GI and thyroid cancers, due to these stupid genes and strong family history. Foo!)