Several tools have been developed to help clinicians in predicting the probability of carrying a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation based on the familial history of breast and/or ovarian cancer and all tools have been based on populations where the age-standardised rate for breast cancer has been significantly higher than that reported in Malaysia (80 to 100 per 100,000 compared with 30 to 50 per 100,000 in Malaysia). This evidence concerns the gene BRCA1 and breast cancer.