title: Effect of BRCA mutations on the length of survival in epithelial ovarian tumors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the role of BRCA mutations in ovarian cancer survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples and specimens of ovarian tumors (whenever blood samples were not available) at the time of the primary surgery were obtained in the course of a nationwide case-control study of women with ovarian cancer in Israel. The three common BRCA mutations in Israel (185delAG, 5382insC, and 6174delT) were analyzed with a multiplex polymerase chain reaction to amplify the exons containing the three mutations using fluor-labeled primers in a single reaction. Because each mutation is a small insertion or deletion, they can be detected as length polymorphisms. Patients were followed for up to 5 years (range, 20 to 64 months). Statistical analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. Stepwise Cox regression analysis was used for determination of independent prognostic factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This report is based on 896 blood or tumor specimens analyzed for the presence of the BRCA mutations. Of these, 234 women (26.1%) were found to be positive. A significant difference in survival pattern was found between BRCA1/BRCA2 carriers and noncarriers among the women with invasive ovarian cancer (median survival, 53.4 months v. 37.8 months; 3-year survival, 65.8% v. 51.9%, respectively). These differences were independent of age at diagnosis or stage of the disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that the survival of patients with ovarian cancer is affected by BRCA germline mutation, at least in the early years after diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Haemek Medical Center, Afula.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ben David
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chetrit
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hirsh-Yechezkel
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Beller
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ben-Baruch
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fishman
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Levavi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lubin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Menczer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Piura
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Struewing
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Modan
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D019398:Genes, BRCA1; D024522:Genes, BRCA2; D018095:Germ-Line Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm