Mutations are effective errors in the copying or transcription processes of DNA.

They
can be caused by mutagens or occur naturally, either chemical such as benzene, or
environmental such as ultraviolet light. These mutations concern the bases on DNA and
can be as small as one base changing to another or as complex and detrimental as the
insertion of a new base along the strand. Mutations like this can drastically change the
proteins created by an organism and affect entire chromosomes or genes. Some of the
mutations that affect gametes can be passed down from parent to offspring and are
called germline mutations. Mutations like these can create entirely new alleles and
increase a population’s genetic variation. A genetic mutation that occurs in humans is
cancer. Cancer is a disorder in which the body’s cells lose the ability to control cell
growth. As a result, the cells divide uncontrollably. One specific type of cancer is breast
cancer. Breast cancer is most common in women. Breast cancer has two different types
of mutations. There are the BRCA 1 and 2 varieties. The charts show that the BRCA 1
mutation is more deadly. If a woman carries the BRCA 1 mutation, she has, according to
the chart, an 18 percent chance of death. The women in the table above had a family
history of cancer. This would show the fact that cancer can be passed down as well as
contracted from a certain type of mutagen known as a carcinogen. The table also shows
preventative surgeries in a number of women carrying both the BRCA 1 and 2
mutations as well as some without either. Unfortunately, given the data shown, it is
impossible to determine the effectiveness of such procedures. To be able to judge this,
data about the survival rates of women who underwent the procedures versus those
who did not would be required. The bar graph above the chart also mentions ages. It
shows that the number of cases of breast cancer increases relatively quickly until ages
50-59 and then slowly declines at a steady pace. Most breast cancer cases occur in
women 50-59 years old. This tells us that the mutation takes quite a few years to display
as it is a genetic mutation and is furthered by the sufferer’s decreased ability to fight off
carcinogens with age. Even though cancer can be removed in surgery and other
procedures it still exists because cancer can be passed on hereditarily, but that is not
the only way for it to be contracted. Carcinogens that exist as chemicals or as
environmental factors are present everywhere and can mutate one’s DNA and therefore
genes. This can then be passed on to offspring as well.