The genetic markers BRCA1 and BRCA2 indicate an increased likelihood of developing breast cancer. A recent study shows that children with these genetic markers will develop breast or ovarian cancer much earlier than their cancer prone parents did.

The research was done at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The doctors were able to pair 106 women with BRCA-positive cancer with a family member in the previous generation who was also diagnosed with a BRCA-related breast or ovarian cancer at some time in their lives.

The average age of cancer diagnosis in the parents was 48 years but was only 42 years in the children. Using a mathematical predictive model it was estimated that the drop in expected age at onset of cancer for everyone in the study was 7.9 years.