Minority women have a 65 percent chance of getting breast cancer, says a recent study conducted by the Northern California Cancer Center and Stanford University. Responsible for this alarming percentage is the BRCA1 gene, which appears to present abnormal mutations in Ashkenazi Jew women, as well as in Hispanic and African-American women, according to latest studies.

The new cancer research showed that although everyone carries the BRCA1 gene, it is not harmful in any way. On the contrary, it is responsible for making a protein that helps cells repair DNA. The problems appear though when the gene suffers a mutation, which will consequently increase the chance to produce cancer.

According to these studies, focused on multiracial subjects, 8.3 percent of the Ashkenazi Jew females with breast cancer have a mutated BRCA1 gene, while the prevalence of the mutation in other minorities, although not as big, still raises concerns: 3.5 percent for Hispanic women, 2.2 percent in non-Hispanic white women, 1.3 percent among African-American and 0.5 percent of Asian-Americans.

The report published in the Journal of the American Medial Association states that “pathogenic mutations in the tumor suppressor gene BRCA1 confer high risks of breast and ovarian cancer […] Although mutations in BRCA1 are rare, they are more frequently present in individuals with multiple relatives having breast or ovarian cancer, early-onset breast cancer, or of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.”

The study was conducted on a total of 3181 patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 1995 and 2003, which have been tested for alterations of the BRCA1 gene during that period. The Hispanic patients included third-generation U.S. born Hispanics (95), patients with origins in Mexico (200), Central America (49), South America (28), the Carribbean (14) or Spain (4).

The Asian-American patients originated from China (200), Filipinas (150), Japan (66), Vietnam (10), Koreea (3) and other parts of Asia, while 331 of the African-American ones were born in the U.S. to U.S.-born parents, 1 in Europe with U.S.-born parents, 4 born in Africa, 2 in Jamaica and 3 from West Indies.

The conclusion of the study is that, no matter the ethnical background, women are exposed to breast and ovarian cancers during their life. Despite the fact that the prevalence of the mutated gene among minority females increases their likelihood of being exposed to breast cancer, this does not exclude the rest of the women, who should do periodical checkups as well. After all, it’s better to prevent than to treat.