Cancers are diseases characterized by an uncontrolled growth of cells, as the result of gene mutations that don't allow the cell to answer to the normal control signals. The alteration of the structure and/or function of a gene is called a "mutation". Today it is well known that, in order for a tumor to develop, a cell needs to collect more mutations.

The majority of cancer is a“sporadic” cancer, that is, it manifest itself without a clear predisposing factor on a genetic basis (hereditary), as DNA mutations develop over the course of life, coincidentally, at somatic cell level, that is, those that make up every organ and apparatus of our organism. For some cancers, the development of these mutations is strongly environmental risk factors (e.g. cigarette smoking for lung cancer)

Only a small, if significant, percentage of tumors are “hereditary”. It is estimated today that about 7% of breast cancers and 10% of ovaric tumors have at least one hereditary component.

In these cases, one or more mutations are yet inherited at the time of conception and will therefore be present in all the body cells. This leads to a greater predisposition, on a genetic (hereditary) basis, to develop a neoplasm when, in the mutations, randomly or as a result of environmental risk factors, will be in in addition to the predisposing mutation(s).

Predictive oncology genetic tests, such as oncogyngenome™, are useful precisely because they allow to identify in advance the increased risk to develop a certain neoplasm based on genetic (hereditary) risk.

oncogyngenome™ analyze specific SNPs variants in a panel of numerous genes, including the now known BRCA-1 e BRCA-2, to perform a multiple genetic analysis  aimed to evaluating the predisposition to develop breast and ovarian cancer through the use of an algorithm that elaborates an individual risk score.

oncogyngenome™ is more recommended if the family history shows a high and specific incidence of neoplastic diseases in previous generations, suggesting a high risk of being carriers of germinal mutation.