Genetic mutations can be signs or even triggers for individual diseases. They are considered indicators for the early detection of various diseases and are usually passed on through hereditary factors. Many clinics therefore offer special consultation hours for genetic counseling on individual clinical pictures. Using clinical and laboratory diagnostics, risk assessment and preventive genetic counseling can be offered to patients and their families. The aim is to enable a risk-adjusted range of preventive measures at an early stage.
The consultation hour for familial breast and ovarian cancer related to the BRCA mutation is an already very established special consultation.
BRCA1, BRCA2 and carcinogenesis
Frequent occurrences of ovarian (peritoneum) and / or breast cancer in a family may indicate a congenital genetic change. In up to about 10 percent of all women with breast cancer and / or ovarian cancer, a disease-causing change occurs primarily in the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, which have been known since 1993. In recent years, a large number of additional relevant genes have been discovered, the changes of which have been linked to cancer risks. As part of this development, it also became clear that genetic changes not only play a role in breast and ovarian cancer, but also, for example, in cancer of the uterine lining (endometrial cancer).
Both affected women with a presumably congenital mutation in the repair genes (e.g. BRCA1 / 2) and their healthy relatives can benefit from genetic counseling. The risk associated with a genetic change varies greatly from person to person. If there is a risk, it is exactly that: a risk. It does not mean that people will inevitably develop cancer at some point in their lives. If you want to know more precisely whether you are possibly at an increased risk, please refer to our checklist. If one or more of the statements listed there apply to you, a detailed consultation in our special consultation is particularly useful.
Center for Familial Breast and Ovarian Cancer at the Charité (FBREK)
As one of 23 centers for familial breast and ovarian cancer in Germany, we offer special consultation hours. We advise women and men who are concerned that they have an increased familial or genetic risk.
Contact
Hotline 030–450 564 124 (Mo — Fr 9 — 12 Uhr)
fbrek-zentrum@charite.de