Breast cancer is a deadly disease but if a breast cancer-infected woman has BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation, then her chances of developing contralateral breast cancer increases manifold even after going through the traditional cancer treatments.

The information about the mutated genes causing breast cancer was made by the researchers at the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium held on the 6th of December, 2011. The researchers surveyed thousands of women, diagnosed with breast cancer at 10 different hospitals of Netherland.

During the survey, it was found that 4.5% of the women were carrying mutated genes. It has been informed that a woman infected with breast cancer at the age of 40 and with mutated genes had 26% higher chances of developing contralateral breast cancer after ten years.

Alexandra J. van den Broek from the Netherlands Cancer Institute recommended, "Guidelines for prophylactic measures and screening in the follow-up of patients with breast cancer carrying the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation are important to provide patients with the best information and counseling".

Now the researchers are planning to conduct the study on larger scale so that the consequences of the mutated genes over the health of women could be gauged. Moreover, it is also necessary to find out ways by which the vulnerable group could be prevented from the deadly disease.

Beverly Moy from the Massachusetts General Hospital has recommended that women can be given two options. They can either be asked to go in for mastectomy, which however might not prevent mutated genes from triggering cancer again or they could be asked to go for intensive screening MRI so that the mutated genes could be diagnosed. However, further study is required to be conducted to prevent the consequences of the mutated genes on women with or without breast cancer.