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Beyond BRCA: The bigger picture of hereditary breast cancer

Listen to the podcast episode: Beyond BRCA: The bigger picture of hereditary breast cancer (17 minutes)

About 10% of breast cancers are hereditary, and about half of those are due to BRCA1 and BRCA2. In this episode, Rebecca Johnson Wheeler, MS, CGC, and Diana Tully, MS, CGC explore the broader genetic landscape of hereditary breast cancer, including the importance of looking beyond BRCA1 and BRCA2 in genetic testing. They’re joined by a breast cancer survivor whose multigene panel identified a CHEK2 variant, illuminating how that knowledge shaped her health journey despite having no family history of breast cancer.

This episode will

  • Differentiate hereditary from familial breast cancer (1:50)
  • Recognize personal and family history features that may indicate a hereditary cancer predisposition (3:00)
  • Describe the role of the genes beyond BRCA1 and BRCA2 in hereditary breast cancer and the value of comprehensive genetic testing  (4:17)
  • Explain how identifying a hereditary cancer predisposition can inform cancer risk management and provide important information for family members (6:26)

Speakers: Rebecca Johnson Wheeler, MS, CGC; Diana Tully, MS, CGC, Kristen O’Hara

Contributors: Rebecca Johnson Wheeler, MS, CGC; Diana Tully, MS, CGC; Kristen O’Hara; Kelly Tangney, MS, CGC; Marjan Champine, MBA, MS, CGC; Maeson Latsko, PhD

Episode released October 5, 2026

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References

  1. Apostolou P, Fostira F. Hereditary breast cancer: the era of new susceptibility genes. Biomed Res Int. 2013;2013:747318. doi:10.1155/2013/747318
  2. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, Pancreatic and Prostate (Version 1.2027). Published August 31, 2026. Accessed September 15, 2026. https://www.nccn.org
  3. Peleg Hasson S, Menes T, Sonnenblick A. Comparison of patient susceptibility genes across breast cancer: implications for prognosis and therapeutic outcomes. Pharmgenomics Pers Med. 2020;13:227-238. doi: 10.2147/PGPM.S233485
  4. Wong ESY, Shekar S, Met-Domestici M, et al. Inherited breast cancer predisposition in Asians: Multigene panel testing outcomes from Singapore. npj Genomic Medicine. 2016;1(1). doi:10.1038/npjgenmed.2015.3
  5. Hanson H, Pal T, Tischkowitz M, et al. CHEK2-related cancer predisposition.. In: Adam MP, Bick S, Mirzaa GM, et al., editors. GeneReviews®. University of Washington, Seattle; March 25, 2026. Accessed September 15, 2026. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK615090/
Hosted by Rebecca Johnson Wheeler, MS, CGC
Featuring Diana Tully, MS, CGC
Featuring Kristen O'Hara

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