People who develop breast cancer before the age of 40 or have several family members with the disease are being urged to take a test to see if they have a type of gene mutation that can cause hereditary breast cancer.
Detecting the condition, known as a BCRA gene mutation, can help those who are at risk but have not developed cancer detect and treat the disease at an early stage.
The Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital set up the Comprehensive Oncology Centre in March, and launched a hereditary and high-risk breast cancer programme in collaboration with the Stanford University Medical Centre in the United States, as well as the two local medical faculties.
Programme director Ava Kwong said the centre had so far conducted genetic testing for 69 breast cancer patients, of whom 18 were found to have the BCRA gene mutation. Half the 18 patients had developed breast cancer before the age of 45.
Dr Kwong said 85 per cent of people with the BCRA mutation might develop breast cancer, while 51 per cent might develop ovarian cancer - 10 times and 50 times higher risk than the general population, respectively.
The centre invited the families - especially members who do not have cancer - of the 18 breast cancer patients detected with the mutation to undergo the tests.
In one case, a patient's brother was detected with the mutation but did not develop the cancer.