CDC Inside Knowledge: Breaking Down BRCA

Audio Descriptive Text 

The animated video opens with an animated hand holding a magnifying glass over the word “BRCA.”  The words fall away, and the animation transitions to an animated photograph of a man and a woman sitting on a park bench and waving at the camera. The text “BRCA1 & BRCA2” appears below the photograph. The camera zooms in on the photo. The background of the photograph fades away with the faces of the man and woman appearing on leaves. An animated tree depicting a family tree appears, and the leaves are placed on the tree. Images of more family members on leaves appear on the tree. The tree fades away and a new image of an animated hand holding a photograph of two women appears. The photograph has text on it that reads, “Ovarian cancer – Aunt, age 42.” Another hand appears holding a photograph of a man with text on it that reads, “Male breast cancer – Uncle, age 65.” More family photographs are added to the pile. A hand holding an animated mobile phone with the notes app open appears. The note reads, “Family history of cancer. Name, cancer type, age of diagnosis.” The image transitions to an animated hand holding a photograph of two women. Another hand appears at the top of the screen pointing at the photograph. Speech bubbles behind the photograph indicate that this is a representation of a conversation between a patient and a health care provider. The hands and photograph move away and are replaced by the family tree reappearing with the call to action appearing in text: Learn more at cdc.gov/cancer/BRCA.  

Transcript 

Let’s talk about BRCA1 and BRCA2, two genes that can affect your cancer risk. Everyone has BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes—one from each parent. Their job is to protect against certain cancers. 

Sometimes mutations, or changes, occur in these genes that are passed down through families. When that happens, these genes may not work properly, which raises your risk of breast, ovarian, and other cancers. But if you learn you have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation there are things you can do to manage and lower your risk.  

Having certain cancers in your family—like ovarian or breast cancer in women, male breast cancer or aggressive prostate cancers in men, or pancreatic cancer in women or men—may mean there’s a higher chance of a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation in the family. Knowing the cancers that family members have had can help a health care provider better understand your risk and guide your next steps. Learn more at cdc.gov/cancer/BRCA. 

Video Summary 

This animated video talks about BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and how having certain types of cancer in your family may mean there’s a higher chance of a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation in the family. This video explains how knowing the cancers that family members have had can help a health care provider better understand your risk and guide your next steps.