BRCA1 exon deletions and duplications have been reported in a number of studies, and in order to design an effective mutation screening strategy in a diagnostic setting it is import to determine the frequency of this type of mutation in breast and ovarian cancer patients. We have designed and applied quantitative fluorescent PCR (QF-PCR) assays to screen for BRCA1 exon rearrangements in breast cancer patients both with and without a family history. A panel of 182 familial patients was screened, and an exon 3-7 deletion mutation was detected in a patient with a family history of breast and ovarian cancer. Additionally, we detected a duplication of exons 18-19 in an early onset sporadic breast cancer patient from a panel of 100 patients tested. These data indicate that in the absence of any founder mutations, screening for BRCA1 exon rearrangements does not significantly increase the overall BRCA1 mutation detection rate in patients referred to a genetics clinic because of either a family history and/or an early onset of disease.