Clinically Relevant Biology of Hereditary Breast Cancer

The identification of the two major breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 has led to an explosion of work covering the biology and epidemiology of these genes. Clinically, much is known about the risks associated with mutations in these genes, but less is certain with regards to their impact on treatment. This review will touch upon several important aspects of the biology of BRCA1 and BRCA2, but comments regarding these areas will be restricted to those most relevant to the clinician. The three main sections are molecular pathology, DNA repair, and finally other functions of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 proteins.