BARCELONA—Patients treated for BRCA-associated breast cancers could be given more accurate estimates of the risk for developing second primaries of the contralateral breast by combining polygenic risk
BARCELONA—Patients treated for BRCA-associated breast cancers could be given more accurate estimates of the risk for developing second primaries of the contralateral breast by combining polygenic risk scores (PRS) with standard risk factors if study findings reported at the 2018 European Breast Cancer Conference are validated.
The AUDIO JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY heard from lead author Alexandra van den Broek PhD, a genetic epidemiologist from the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam, how the predictive power of PRSs for a first primary breast cancer in the general population and for BRCA 1 and 2 mutation carriers could also extend to forecasting second primaries of the contralateral breast enabling women to make more informed decisions about their on-going treatment options.
Isabel T. Rubio MD PhD, co-chair of the 11th European Breast Cancer Conference and Director of the Breast Surgical Unit at Clinica Universidad de Navarra, in Madrid, Spain who was not involved in the research said: “Facing a diagnosis of breast cancer and carrying a BRCA mutation is overwhelming for many women. New information on the individual risks of developing a contralateral breast cancer in this population will help in the decision-making process on preventive surgery or intensive follow up. Research like this brings new information to help with these difficult decisions.”
Abstract no: 7:
“The association between Polygenic Risk Scores and contralateral breast cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: analyses in the CIMBA consortium”
https://www.ecco-org.eu/Global/News/EBCC/EBCC11/03/Risk-of-a-second-breast-cancer-can-be-better-quantified-in-women-carrying-a-BRCA-mutation
Read Peter Goodwin’s article in ONCOLOGY TIMES
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