Spectra of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in Korean patients with breast cancer: the importance of whole-gene sequencing.
The frequencies and spectra of germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes vary among populations. In the present study, the mutation spectra of the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes in Korean breast cancer patients were investigated using whole-gene sequencing method. A total of 134 unrelated Korean breast cancer patients who were identified as being at high risk of carrying BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations were included. PCR amplification and direct sequencing were performed covering all exons and flanking intronic sequences of the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes. A total of 26 mutations were detected in 31 of 134 patients (23.1%). The mutation detection rate in the present study is higher than those of previous studies using screening methods (2.5-11.3%) and similar to that of a recent study, which used whole-gene sequencing (21.2%). The BRCA2: c.7480C>T mutation, which has been suggested to be a founder mutation in Koreans, was detected in only one patient. Five mutations were recurrent but observed in no more than two patients. Given that the mutation detection rates using whole-gene sequencing were much higher than for screening methods and that there were no consistent observations of founder mutations, whole-gene sequencing of both BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes should be the method of choice to identify mutations in high-risk Korean patients.
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Ja-Hyun
JH
Jang
Jeong Eon
JE
Lee
Min-Jung
MJ
Kwon
Chang-Seok
CS
Ki
Jong-Won
JW
Kim
Seok Jin
SJ
Nam
Jung-Hyun
JH
Yang
D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D019398:Genes, BRCA1; D024522:Genes, BRCA2; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D056910:Republic of Korea