But 95 plus percent of cancers are not arising from germline mutations . They are arising from somatic mutations or acquired mutations . So the question then becomes , what is driving somatic mutation and the two clearest indications of drivers of somatic mutation are smoking and obesity , smoking .
They are arising from somatic mutations or acquired mutations . So the question then becomes , what is driving somatic mutation and the two clearest indications of drivers of somatic mutation are smoking and obesity , smoking . We've talked about , let's put that aside for a moment .
One is the role that genes play . So um maybe I'll just spend one second on a , a gene 101 thing for , for the , for the viewer , we want to differentiate between what are called germline mutations and somatic mutations . So um your germline and my germline are set when we were born , our germline mutations , uh any mutations we have in germline genes are inherited from our parents .
OK . So , so mutations in BRCA are germline mutations . A woman will get a BRCA mutation from one of her parents .
But there's no ambiguity that that was a germline transmission of a gene that is driving cancer . But 95 plus percent of cancers are not arising from germline mutations . They are arising from somatic mutations or acquired mutations .