BRCA1and BRCA2mutations account for a large proportion of ovarian carcinoma cases

It is believed that BRCA1and BRCA2germline mutations account for the majority of hereditary ovarian carcinomas; however, to the authors' knowledge, there are scant data on the prevalence and spectrum of mutations, genotype/phenotype correlations, tumor histology, and family history characteristics. To address this gap, the authors conducted a population‐based study of 232 incident epithelial ovarian carcinomas in the Tampa Bay area. Genetic testing for the BRCA1and BRCA2genes was performed through full sequencing and BRCA1rearrangement testing. Of 209 women with invasive ovarian carcinoma, 32 women (15.3%) had mutations in BRCA1or BRCA2, including 20 BRCA1mutations and 12 BRCA2mutations. Of the BRCA2mutations, 58% were outside the “ovarian cancer cluster region” (OCCR). Variants of uncertain significance were detected in 8.2% of women with invasive ovarian carcinoma. No mutations were identified in women with borderline or invasive mucinous tumors. Among the BRCA mutation‐positive women, 63% had serous tumors. A family history of breast and/or ovarian carcinoma was reported in 65%, 75%, and 43.5% of relatives of BRCA1carriers, BRCA2carriers, and non‐BRCA1/BRCA2carriers, respectively. The data from this study suggested that 1) previous studies may have underestimated the frequency of BRCA1and BRCA2mutations in ovarian carcinomas, especially outside the OCCR; 2) it may be reasonable to offer genetic counseling to any woman with an invasive, nonmucinous epithelial ovarian tumor; and 3) among patients with invasive ovarian carcinoma, family history is not sufficiently accurate to predict mutation status. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society. In this population‐based study of incident epithelial ovarian carcinomas, the authors demonstrated that the frequency of BRCA1and BRCA2mutations among women with ovarian carcinoma was higher than reported previously. The current data suggested that it may be reasonable to offer genetic counseling to any woman with invasive epithelial ovarian carcinoma, because family history is not sufficiently accurate to predict the presence or absence of a mutation.