Destiny from density

摘要

Our ability to evaluate the lifetime risk of breast cancer in women who have a family history of breast and ovarian cancer was revolutionized by the identification1 of the breast-cancer-associated genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. But although this was a landmark discovery, it has not translated into improvements in the assessment of breast-cancer risk in the general population2, because more than 95% of women who develop breast cancer do not have a 5RCA-gene mutation3. So the search for biomarkers to predict the risk in these women remains a goal for many biologists, clinicians and epidemiologists.