Are BRCA1- and BRCA2-related breast cancers associated with increased mortality?
There has been contradictory evidence as to whether BRCA1 associated breast cancers have a poorer prognosis than non-BRCA1 cancers. In this issue of Breast Cancer Research Robson and colleagues provide further evidence for poorer survival in BRCA1 carriers and show that it could be attributed to failure to treat small node-negative grade 3 breast cancers with chemotherapy. There still remains little evidence for a survival difference for BRCA2 related breast cancers. Although the high contralateral breast cancer risk is confirmed by this study there is no real evidence for an increase in ipsilateral recurrence or new primary breast cancers in mutation carriers up to the 10-year point.
Evans
D Gareth
DG
Academic Unit of Medical Genetics and Regional Genetics Service, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, UK. Gareth.Evans@CMMC.nhs.uk
Howell
Anthony
A
D019313:BRCA1 Protein / Q000235:genetics*; D024682:BRCA2 Protein / Q000235:genetics*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018095:Germ-Line Mutation; D006801:Humans; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
D019313:BRCA1 Protein; D024682:BRCA2 Protein