Breast Cancer and BRCA Status in Young Women of Diverse Racial Groups

Deletions in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are implicated in 10% to 20% of breast cancer cases in young women. Although racial differences in breast cancer incidence are well documented, relatively little is known about differences in BRCA mutation frequency across racial groups, and even less information exists about risk for secondary malignancies in mutation carriers.

To address these knowledge gaps, investigators sequenced BRCA1/2 genes in 166 white, 66 black, and 101 Korean young breast cancer patients (age at diagnosis, <45). Genetic analysis yielded three main genetic categories: deletions in BRCA1 or BRCA2 (hereditary breast cancer); genetic variants of unknown significance (VUS); and known gene polymorphisms or no mutations, termed wild typ…