Mutations in genes like BRCA are germline mutations, inherited from a parent, and can be identified through family history and genetic testing.

“now you mentioned one a moment ago braa okay so so mutations in braa are germline mutations a woman will get a braa mutation from one of her parents and we will often have a sense of that just from the family history you know when mom and sister and aunt and grandmother had breast cancer you've got a breast cancer Gene now it might be braa it might be another Gene that's not braa but there's no ambiguity and we test for these genes mostly just for insurance purposes frankly but there's no ambiguity that that was a germline transmission of a gene that is driving cancer”