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September 7, 2007 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The outcome of women with familial breast cancer and a BRCA1 mutation is likely to be "unsatisfactory," even when tumors are caught at an apparently early stage through a surveillance program, research indicates. On the other hand, women with surveillance-detected familial breast cancer with a BRCA2 mutation or no detectable mutation are apt to have a good outcome, the research team reports in the September 1st issue of the International Journal of Cancer. Dr. Pat Moller from Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet Clinic Center, Oslo, Norway and colleagues analyzed the outcome by mutation status of 442 women with familial breast cancer enrolled in a program for early diagnosis and treatment. Eighty-nine of the women (20%) had BRCA1 mutations, 35 (8%) had BRCA2 mutations and 318 (72%) had no detectable mutation. The 5-year survival rates in BRCA1 carriers, BRCA2 carriers and the non-carriers were 73%, 96% and 92%, respectively. Among BRCA1 mutation carriers, 5-year survival was 67% for tumors diagnosed as carcinoma in situ, 84% for node-negative invasive tumors, and 58% for those with nodal involvement. For BRCA2 mutation carriers, 5-year survival was 100% for women with carcinoma in situ or node-negative invasive tumors and 90% with nodal involvement. For mutation-negative women, the corresponding figures were 100%, 97% and 71%. These findings demonstrate clear differences in outcome of genetically different breast cancers detected through a surveillance program, Dr. Moller's team points out. "The present findings should be taken into account when women with significant family histories of breast cancer make informed choices about their management," they conclude. Copyright 2008 Reuters. Click for Restrictions.
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