Breast Cancer: BRCA1-Negative and BRCA1-Positive and Ten-Year Survival

Steven A. Narod, MD Women’s College Research Institute 790 Bay St, 7th Floor Toronto, ON, M5G 1N8 CanadaMedicalResearch.com Author Interview:
Steven A. Narod, MD

Women’s College Research Institute
790 Bay St, 7th Floor
Toronto, ON, M5G 1N8 Canada

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?

Answer: We found that the survival of women with breast cancer and a brca1 mutation was similar to that of women with breast cancer and no mutation.

MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?

Answer: Yes the principal finding was that if a woman who has breast cancer has a brca1 mutation, then having an oophorectomy will reduce her chances of dying of breast cancer by more than 50%.  This is more benefit than chemotherapy. It should become a standard of care for all women with brca1 mutation and breast cancer.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Answer: Young women with breast cancer should be tested for brca1 mutations at the time of diagnosis.  If they are positive they should be offered immediate oophorectomy in addition to chemotherapy.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Answer: Would like to see these observations confirmed in other study populations.

Citation:

Ten-Year Survival in Patients With BRCA1-Negative and BRCA1-Positive Breast Cancer.

Huzarski T, Byrski T, Gronwald J, Górski B, Domagala P, Cybulski C, Oszurek O, Szwiec M, Gugala K, Stawicka M, Morawiec Z, Mierzwa T, Janiszewska H, Kilar E, Marczyk E, Kozak-Klonowska B, Siolek M, Surdyka D, Wisniowski R, Posmyk M, Sun P, Lubinski J, Narod SA.

Source

Tomasz Huzarski, Tomasz Byrski, Jacek Gronwald, Bohdan Górski, Pawel Domagała, Cezary Cybulski, Oleg Oszurek, and Jan Lubiński, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin; Marek Szwiec, Regional Oncology Center, Opole; Karol Gugała, District Specialist Hospital, Olsztyn; Malgorzata Stawicka, Regional Oncology Center, Poznań; Zbigniew Morawiec, Regional Oncology Center, Łódź; Tomasz Mierzwa, Regional Oncology Hospital; Hanna Janiszewska, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz; Ewa Kilar, District Specialist Hospital, Świdnica; Elzbieta Marczyk, Regional Oncology Center, Kraków; Beata Kozak-Klonowska and Monika Siołek, Regional Oncology Center, Kielce; Dariusz Surdyka, Medical Academy, Lublin; Rafal Wiśniowski, Regional Oncology Hospital, Bielsko Biała; Michal Posmyk, Regional Oncology Center, Białystok, Poland; and Ping Sun and Steven A. Narod, Women’s College Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

J Clin Oncol. 2013 Aug 12. [Epub ahead of print]

 

Last Updated on August 20, 2013 by Marie Benz MD FAAD