bc & ovarian cancer risk differ by type of BRCA1, BRCA2 mutation

besa

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-breast-ovari...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/15040...

"Previously, a woman with a BRCA1 mutation would have been thought to have a 59 percent risk of breast cancer and a 34 percent risk for ovarian cancer, up until age 70. However, the new research suggests that women who carry a specific subset of BRCA mutations most commonly present in the Ashkenazi Jewish population have a higher risk of breast cancer (69 percent) and a lower risk of ovarian cancer (26 percent), for example. The important question that remains is whether these differences will change the decisions a woman makes about preventive surgery or other behaviors."

"With these new findings, we've gained knowledge of mutation-specific risks which could provide important information forrisk assessment among BRCA1/2 mutation carriers," said senior author Katherine L. Nathanson, MD, associate professor of Medicine and director of Genetics in the Basser Research Center for BRCA at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center, "Additional research is needed to determine the absolute risks associated with different mutations, and how those differences might influence decision making and standards of care, such as preventive surgery, for carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations."

Reference:

JAMA, doi:10.1001/jama.2014.5985