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BACKGROUND The authors compared the clinical features between familial (non-hereditary) and hereditary breast cancer. And we also analyzed their oncologic outcomes to establish appropriate surveillance protocol for familial (non-hereditary) and hereditary breast cancer. METHODS Among 232 patients with breast cancer who were performed BRCA gene evaluation, twenty-eight patients were diagnosed as hereditary breast cancer with BRCA gene mutation and one-hundred and seventy-six patients were familial (non-hereditary) breast cancer. The clinical characteristics and oncologic outcomes were compared between two groups. RESULTS While the incidence of multifocality was higher in familial (non-hereditary) breast cancer group (p < 0.001), the bilaterality was higher in hereditary breast cancer group (p < 0.001). And the rate of pathologic complete remission was also significantly higher in hereditary breast cancer group (p = 0.030). The characteristics of tumor were different between familial (non-hereditary) breast cancer and hereditary breast cancer. The oncologic outcome was better in familial (non-hereditary) breast cancer group than hereditary breast cancer group except death. CONCLUSION The clinical characteristics of familial (non-hereditary) breast cancer were different from those of hereditary breast cancer but similar to those of sporadic breast cancer. The prognosis of the familial (non-hereditary) breast cancer was significantly better than hereditary breast cancer.