[Impact of recent oncogenetic progress on the management of high risk breast cancer patients: the example of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes].

Evidence is mounting that hereditary breast cancers and sporadic cases harbor distinct clinical and morphological patterns that are thought to be linked to different natural histories. BRCA1-associated breast cancers appear as high grade, poorly differentiated, highly proliferating, and frequently estrogen receptor negative tumors. Surprisingly, despite these features usually associated with a poor outlook, no decrease in the overall survival is observed in hereditary cases. These elements may be of valuable help in the design of strategies in the medical management of cancer prone individuals.