Characterization of BRCA1 and BRCA2 deleterious mutations and variants of unknown clinical significance in unilateral and bilateral breast cancer: the WECARE study.
Abstract
BRCA1 and BRCA2 screening in women at high-risk of breast cancer results in the identification of both unambiguously defined deleterious mutations and sequence variants of unknown clinical significance (VUS). We examined a population-based sample of young women with contralateral breast cancer (CBC, n=705) or unilateral breast cancer (UBC, n=1398). We identified 470 unique sequence variants, of which 113 were deleterious mutations. The remaining 357 VUS comprised 185 unique missense changes, 60% were observed only once, while 3% occurred with a frequency of >10%. Deleterious mutations occurred three times more often in women with CBC (15.3%) than in women with UBC (5.2%), whereas combined, VUS were observed in similar frequencies in women with CBC and UBC. A protein alignment algorithm defined 16 rare VUS, occurring at highly conserved residues and/or conferring a considerable biochemical difference, the majority located in the BRCA2 DNA-binding domain. We confirm a multiplicity of BRCA1 and BRCA2 VUS that occur at a wide range of allele frequencies. Although some VUS inflict chemical differences at conserved residues, suggesting a deleterious effect, the majority are not associated with an increased risk of CBC.
Citations
Contribution of inherited mutations in the BRCA2-interacting protein PALB2 to familial breast cancer
Novel BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic mutations in Slovene hereditary breast and ovarian cancer families.
Related Concepts
Related Feeds
Breast Cancer: BRCA1 & BRCA2
Mutations involving BRCA1, found on chromosome 17, and BRCA2, found on chromosome 13, increase the risk for specific cancers, such as breast cancer. Discover the last research on breast cancer BRCA1 and BRCA2 here.