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Definition

noun

A form of penetrance below 100%, in which not all individuals carrying a deleterious gene express the associated trait or condition.

Supplement

A disease is said to show incomplete penetrance when some individuals express the associated trait while others do not even though they carry the disease-causing gene. For instance, some people with a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene will develop cancer during their lifetime, other people will not.

‘’Synonym:’’ incomplete penetrance

Compare: complete penetrance