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BRCA1/BRCA2 rearrangements and CHEK2 common mutations are infrequent in Italian male breast cancer cases

  • Epidemiology
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Abstract

Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare and poorly known disease. Germ-line mutations of BRCA2 and, to lesser extent, BRCA1 genes are the highest risk factors associated with MBC. Interestingly, BRCA2 germ-line rearrangements have been described in high-risk breast/ovarian cancer families which included at least one MBC case. Germ-line mutations of CHEK2 gene have been also implicated in inherited MBC predisposition. The CHEK2 1100delC mutation has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer in men lacking BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations. Intriguingly, two other CHEK2 mutations (IVS2+1G>A and I157T) and a CHEK2 large genomic deletion (del9-10) have been associated with an elevated risk for prostate cancer. Here, we investigated the contribution of BRCA1, BRCA2 and CHEK2 alterations to MBC predisposition in Italy by analysing a large series of MBC cases, unselected for breast cancer family history and all negative for BRCA1/BRCA2 germ-line mutations. A total of 102 unrelated Italian MBC cases were screened for deletions/duplications of BRCA1, BRCA2 and CHEK2 by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. No BRCA1, BRCA2 and CHEK2 genomic rearrangements, including the CHEK2 del9-10, were found in the series analysed. Furthermore, none of the MBC cases and 263 male population controls, also included in this study, carried the CHEK2 1100delC, IVS2+1G>A and I157T common mutations. Overall, our data suggest that screening of BRCA1/2 rearrangements is not advantageous in MBC cases not belonging to high-risk breast cancer families and that common CHEK2 mutations play an irrelevant role in MBC predisposition in Italy.

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Acknowledgement

The study was supported by a grant from Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC) to Laura Ottini.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Viale Regina Elena, 324, Rome, 00161, Italy

    Mario Falchetti, Ramona Lupi, Piera Rizzolo, Ketty Ceccarelli, Alberto Gulino, Giuseppe Giannini & Laura Ottini

  2. Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology Unit, CSPO-Scientific Institute of Tuscany, Florence, 50139, Italy

    Ines Zanna, Giovanna Masala & Domenico Palli

  3. Department of Surgical and Oncological Sciences, Section of Medical Oncology, Regional Reference Center for the Biomolecular Characterization and Genetic Screening of Hereditary Tumors, University of Palermo, Palermo, 90127, Italy

    Valentina Calò & Antonio Russo

  4. Clinical Experimental Oncology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute “Giovanni Paolo II”, Bari, 70126, Italy

    Stefania Tommasi & Angelo Paradiso

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  1. Mario Falchetti
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  2. Ramona Lupi
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  3. Piera Rizzolo
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  10. Alberto Gulino
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  11. Giuseppe Giannini
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  13. Domenico Palli
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  14. Laura Ottini
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Correspondence to Laura Ottini.

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Mario Falchetti and Ramona Lupi contributed equally to this work.

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Falchetti, M., Lupi, R., Rizzolo, P. et al. BRCA1/BRCA2 rearrangements and CHEK2 common mutations are infrequent in Italian male breast cancer cases. Breast Cancer Res Treat 110, 161–167 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-007-9689-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-007-9689-2

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