Prevalence of pathogenic BRCA1 mutation carriers in 5 US racial/ethnic groups.
BACKGROUND
Information on the prevalence of pathogenic BRCA1 mutation carriers in racial/ethnic minority populations is limited.


OBJECTIVE
To estimate BRCA1 carrier prevalence in Hispanic, African American, and Asian American female breast cancer patients compared with non-Hispanic white patients with and without Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.


METHODS
We estimated race/ethnicity-specific prevalence of BRCA1 in a population-based, multiethnic series of female breast cancer patients younger than 65 years at diagnosis who were enrolled at the Northern California site of the Breast Cancer Family Registry during the period 1996-2005. Race/ethnicity and religious ancestry were based on self-report. Weighted estimates of prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were based on Horvitz-Thompson estimating equations.


METHODS
Estimates of BRCA1 prevalence.


RESULTS
Estimates of BRCA1 prevalence were 3.5% (95% CI, 2.1%-5.8%) in Hispanic patients (n = 393), 1.3% (95% CI, 0.6%-2.6%) in African American patients (n = 341), and 0.5% (95% CI, 0.1%-2.0%) in Asian American patients (n = 444), compared with 8.3% (95% CI, 3.1%-20.1%) in Ashkenazi Jewish patients (n = 41) and 2.2% (95% CI, 0.7%-6.9%) in other non-Hispanic white patients (n = 508). Prevalence was particularly high in young (<35 years) African American patients (5/30 patients [16.7%]; 95% CI, 7.1%-34.3%). 185delAG was the most common mutation in Hispanics, found in 5 of 21 carriers (24%).


CONCLUSIONS
Among African American, Asian American, and Hispanic patients in the Northern California Breast Cancer Family Registry, the prevalence of BRCA1 mutation carriers was highest in Hispanics and lowest in Asian Americans. The higher carrier prevalence in Hispanics may reflect the presence of unrecognized Jewish ancestry in this population.
John
Esther M
EM
Northern California Cancer Center, Fremont, CA 94538-2334, USA. ejohn@nccc.org
Miron
Alexander
A
Gong
Gail
G
Phipps
Amanda I
AI
Felberg
Anna
A
Li
Frederick P
FP
West
Dee W
DW
Whittemore
Alice S
AS
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001213:Asian / Q000235:genetics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005260:Female; D019398:Genes, BRCA1; D006580:Genetic Carrier Screening; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000235:genetics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007585:Jews / Q000235:genetics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries