BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes are known to be involved in inherited susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer (Lindor and Greene, 1998; Welcsh and King, 2001) and may contribute to the 1.8-fold higher risk of second ovarian cancer we observed in women diagnosed with breast cancer at younger ages as well as the 1.7-fold higher risk in women with a family history of breast cancer compared with those without a family history of breast cancer. This evidence concerns the gene BRCA1 and ovarian carcinoma.