Biological basis of genetic predisposition to breast cancer

In summary, there have indeed been major breakthroughs in the identification of multiple genetic aberrations in breast cancer. These include germ-line mutations in familial disease, genes that confer increased susceptibility to many different cancers including breast cancer, and genetic aberrations observed only in breast cancers. The large number of aberrations reported may seem perplexing. However, strategies which identify how they fit into models for the etiology and evolution of this disease and how familial genes may be involved in sporadic breast cancer are beginning to appear and will continue to be a challenge for the future.