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BRCA breast cancer gene
BRCA breast cancer gene One of several genetic mutations linked to breast cancer and ovarian cancer. There is now convincing evidence that every woman with a BRCA mutation is at high risk for breast cancer, irrespective of whether she has a family history of breast cancer or not. By age 80, a woman with a BRCA mutation has about an 80% chance of developing breast cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 increase the risk of ovarian cancer 54% and 23%, respectively. Mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 account for 5-10% of all breast cancer which translates into 10-20,000 new cases of breast cancer in the US and many more around the world every year.
RELATED TERMS--------------------------------------
Genetic
Hereditary. Having to do with the genes.
Breast
The breast refers to the front of the chest or, more specifically, to the mammary gland. The mammary gland is a milk producing gland. It is composed largely of fat. Within the mammary gland is a complex network of branching ducts. These ducts exit from sac-like structures called lobules, which can produce milk in females. The ducts exit the breast at the nipple.
Cancer
Any malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division; it may spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or the blood stream.
Mutation
A change in DNA that alters a gene and thus the gene's product, leading in some cases to deformity or disease. Mutations can occur spontaneously during cell division or can be triggered by environmental stresses, such as sunlight, radiation, and chemicals.
Risk
In clinical trials, the probability of harm or discomfort for subjects, arising from the test product. Acceptable risk differs depending on the condition for which a product is being tested. A product for sore throat, for example, will be expected to have a low incidence of side effects. However, unpleasant side effects may be an acceptable risk when testing a promising treatment for a life-threatening illness.
Family
1. A group of individuals related by blood or marriage or by a feeling of closeness. 2. A biological classification of related plants or animals that is a division below the order and above the genus. 3. A group of genes related in structure and in function that descended from an ancestral gene. 4. A group of gene products similarly related in structure and function and of shared genetic descent. 5. Parents and their children. The most fundamental social group in humans.
BRCA2
A gene that normally acts to restrain the growth of cells in the breast and ovary but which, when mutated, may predispose to breast cancer and to ovarian cancer. BRCA2 mutations have also been discovered to be responsible for a significant fraction of early-onset prostate cancer. The first breast cancer genes identified were BRCA1 and BRCA2. Mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for about half of all cases of inherited breast cancer. These tumors tend to occur in young women. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are usually not involved in breast cancer that is not hereditary.
SIMILAR TERMS--------------------------------------
BRCA1 breast cancer susceptibility gene
A mutated (changed) version of the BRCA1 gene that makes a person susceptible to developing breast cancer.
BRCA2
A gene that normally acts to restrain the growth of cells in the breast and ovary but which, when mutated, may predispose to breast cancer and to ovarian cancer. BRCA2 mutations have also been discovered to be responsible for a significant fraction of early-onset prostate cancer. The first breast cancer genes identified were BRCA1 and BRCA2. Mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for about half of all cases of inherited breast cancer. These tumors tend to occur in young women. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are usually not involved in breast cancer that is not hereditary.
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Brainstem auditory evoked potentials
See: ABR test.
Brainstem implant
A type of hearing aid that bypasses the cochlea in the middle ear and the auditory nerve and is implanted in the brainstem. This type of implant helps individuals who cannot benefit from a cochlear implant because the auditory nerves are not working.
Branchial cleft cyst
Also called a branchial cyst, this is a cavity that is a remnant from embryologic development present at birth in one side of the neck just in front of the large angulated muscle on either side (the sternocleidomastoid muscle). The cyst may not be recognized until adolescence as it enlarges its oval shape. Sometimes it develops a sinus or drainage pathway to the surface of the skin from which mucus can be expressed. Total surgical excision is the treatment of choice. Recurrence is not expected.
Branchial cyst
Also called a branchial cleft cyst, this is a cavity that is a remnant from embryologic development present at birth in one side of the neck just in front of the large angulated muscle on either side (the sternocleidomastoid muscle). The cyst may not be recognized until adolescence as it enlarges its oval shape. It may develop a sinus or drainage pathway to the surface of the skin from which mucus can be expressed. Total surgical excision is the treatment of choice. Recurrence is not expected.
Brazelton newborn test
A widely used test of the newborn baby as to their neurologic status and developmental progress.
BRCA breast cancer gene
BRCA1 breast cancer susceptibility gene
A mutated (changed) version of the BRCA1 gene that makes a person susceptible to developing breast cancer.
BRCA2
A gene that normally acts to restrain the growth of cells in the breast and ovary but which, when mutated, may predispose to breast cancer and to ovarian cancer. BRCA2 mutations have also been discovered to be responsible for a significant fraction of early-onset prostate cancer. The first breast cancer genes identified were BRCA1 and BRCA2. Mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for about half of all cases of inherited breast cancer. These tumors tend to occur in young women. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are usually not involved in breast cancer that is not hereditary.
Breadbasket
A popular term for the stomach in both senses: 1. The digestive organ, as to hear the breadbasket rumble with hunger. 2. The belly, as to have a big breadbasket.
Breakbone fever
"An acute mosquito-borne viral illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign course with headache, fever, prostration, severe joint and muscle pain, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy) and rash. The presence (the ""dengue triad"") of fever, rash, and headache (and other pains) is particularly characteristic. Better known as dengue, the disease is endemic throughout the tropics and subtropics. It goes by other names including dandy fever. Victims of dengue often have contortions due to the intense joint and muscle pain. Hence, the name ""breakbone fever."" Slaves in the West Indies who contracted dengue were said to have ""dandy fever"" because of their postures and gait. "
Breast
The breast refers to the front of the chest or, more specifically, to the mammary gland. The mammary gland is a milk producing gland. It is composed largely of fat. Within the mammary gland is a complex network of branching ducts. These ducts exit from sac-like structures called lobules, which can produce milk in females. The ducts exit the breast at the nipple.
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