Get notified of page updates

Cancer Risk

Read about different genes that are linked to hereditary cancer, their associated risks and guidelines for screening, preventing and treating cancers in people with inherited mutations in these genes.

Stay up to date on research and information

Hereditary Cancer and Genetic Testing > Hereditary Cancer Genes and Risk > By Gene Mutation > PALB2 > Cancer Risk

The Basics Cancer Risk Risk Management Cancer Treatment Other Considerations

Glossary on

off

Cancer Risks Associated with an Inherited Mutation

If you have tested positive for a mutation, we recommend that you consult with a genetics expert who can assess your personal and family history of cancer, and help you decide on a plan to manage your risk. Note that when we use "men" and "women" we are referring to the sex you were assigned at birth.

Breast cancer

Cancer type	Risk with	Average risk
Breast cancer in women	40-60%	12.5%
Male breast cancer	less than 1% (0.9%)	0.1%

Gynecologic cancer

Cancer type	Risk with	Average risk
Ovarian, and primary peritoneal cancers	3-5%	1.3%

Pancreatic cancer

	Risk with	Average risk
Pancreatic cancer	2-5%	1.0%

The risk for other cancers in people with a mutation is unknown.

Graph of lifetime breast cancer risk in women with <button
x-data
class='glossary-tip tt-palb2'
x-tooltip='<p>PALB2 is the name of a gene linked to cancer. Inherited mutations in PALB2 increase the risk for female breast, ovarian, pancreatic and possibly other cancers and can cause cancer to run in families.</p>'
>PALB2</button> mutations

It is important to note that cancer risks are estimates over the course of a person's lifetime. Your lifetime risk and risk over the next five years will vary depending on:

current age
sex assigned at birth
specific mutation
personal and family health history
diet, exercise, lifestyle and other factors

Get Support

FORCE offers many peer support programs for people with inherited mutations.

Our Message Boards allow people to connect with others who share their situation. Once registered, you can post on the Diagnosed With Cancer board to connect with other people who have been diagnosed.
Our Peer Navigation Program will match you with a volunteer who shares your mutation and situation.
Our moderated, private Facebook group allows you to connect with other community members 24/7.
Check out our virtual and in-person support meeting calendar.
Join one of our Zoom community group meetings.

Open Clinical Trials

NCT02665195: Registry Of MultiPlex Testing (PROMPT). PROMPT is an online research registry. The goal of PROMPT is to help researchers to better understand the risks that are linked to mutations in less well-studied genes. People with inherited mutations can enroll in PROMPT to help researchers learn more about cancer risks.

Last updated January 01, 2024