We linked four nationwide Swedish population-based registries to identify first-degree family history of breast and ovarian cancer among breast cancer cases diagnosed between 1991 and 1998 and followed them until death, emigration or end of follow-up in December 1998. The median follow-up was 36 months. Using Cox proportional hazards models, the hazard ratio of death (HR) due to breast cancer was estimated. Women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer (n=2175, 12.7%) had a nonsignificantly better prognosis than women without any family history, HR 0.86 (95% CI 0.71-1.05); this appeared unrelated to age at diagnosis either in the index case or in relative(s) with breast and/or ovarian cancer. Our study shows that prognostic outlook is not worse among breast cancer patients with family history.