Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Appendectomy and cancer risk in Jewish BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers

  • Epidemiology
  • Published:
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Previous studies suggested that appendectomy may affect cancer risk in the general population. No data on the effect of appendectomy on cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers is available. Data on appendectomy, cancer type, and age at diagnosis were collected from BRCA1 (n = 677) and BRCA2 (n = 270) female Jewish Israeli mutation carriers counseled in a single medical center. Data were also collected on 225 consecutive ovarian cancer cases treated at the same medical center. Overall, 367/947 (38.7%) of mutation carriers had breast cancer (age at diagnosis 44.1 ± 10.4 years), 142 (15.0%) ovarian cancer (53.6 ± 10.1 years), and 438 (46.25%) were asymptomatic carriers (age at counseling 41.4 ± 11.2 years). Mean age at diagnosis of consecutive ovarian cancer cases was 53.6 ± 10.1 years. Of mutation carriers, 28/367 breast cancer cases (7.6%), 15/142 ovarian cancer cases (10.6%), and 11/438 asymptomatic carriers (2.5%) underwent prior appendectomy (P = 0.001 for breast/ovarian cancer when compared with asymptomatic carriers). In all but two cases, appendectomy was performed more than 10 years before cancer diagnosis or age at counseling. Of ovarian cancer patients, 12/225 (5.3%) underwent appendectomy, and in 10 appendectomy was performed 10 years or more before ovarian cancer diagnosis (P = 0.068 when compared with inherited ovarian cancer cases). This study suggests that prior appendectomy is more frequently noted in BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers with breast and ovarian cancer than in unaffected mutation carriers. The mechanism for this association is elusive, and future analyses of ethnically diverse mutation carriers are needed to validate these results.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Antoniou A, Pharoah PD, Narod S, Risch HA, Eyfjord JE, Hopper JL, Loman N, Olsson H, Johannsson O, Borg A, Pasini B, Radice P, Manoukian S, Eccles DM, Tang N, Olah E, Anton-Culver H, Warner E, Lubinski J, Gronwald J, Gorski B, Tulinius H, Thorlacius S, Eerola H, Nevanlinna H, Syrjäkoski K, Kallioniemi OP, Thompson D, Evans C, Peto J, Lalloo F, Evans DG, Easton DF (2003) Average risks of breast and ovarian cancer associated with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations detected in case Series unselected for family history: a combined analysis of 22 studies. Am J Hum Genet 72(5):1117–1130

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Antoniou AC, Pharoah PD, Easton DF, Evans DG (2006) BRCA1 and BRCA2 cancer risks. J Clin Oncol 24(20):3312–3313

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Simchoni S, Friedman E, Kaufman B, Gershoni-Baruch R, Orr-Urtreger A, Kedar-Barnes I, Shiri-Sverdlov R, Dagan E, Tsabari S, Shohat M, Catane R, King MC, Lahad A, Levy-Lahad E (2006) Familial clustering of site-specific cancer risks associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in the Ashkenazi Jewish population. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103(10):2774–3770

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Narod SA (2006) Modifiers of risk of hereditary breast cancer. Oncogene 25(43):5832–5836

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Levy-Lahad E, Friedman E (2007) Cancer risks among BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. Br J Cancer 96(1):11–15

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Pharoah PD, Antoniou AC, Easton DF, Ponder BA (2008) Polygenes, risk prediction, and targeted prevention of breast cancer. N Engl J Med 358(26):2796–2803

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. McVay JR Jr (1964) The appendix in relation to neoplastic disease. Cancer 17:929–937

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Gross L (1966) Incidence of appendectomies and tonsillectomies in cancer patients. Cancer 19(6):849–852

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Hyams L, Wynder EL (1968) Appendectomy and cancer risk. An epidemiological evaluation. J Chronic Dis 21(6):391–415

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Robinson E (1968) The incidence of appendectomies, tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies in cancer patients. Br J Cancer 22(2):250–252

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Bierman HR (1968) Human appendix and neoplasia. Cancer 21:109–118

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Mellemkjaer L, Johansen C, Linet MS, Gridley G, Olsen JH (1998) Cancer risk following appendectomy for acute appendicitis (Denmark). Cancer Causes Control 9(2):183–187

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Cope JU, Askling J, Gridley G, Mohr A, Ekbom A, Nyren O, Linet MS (2003) Appendectomy during childhood and adolescence and the subsequent risk of cancer in Sweden. Pediatrics 111(6 Pt 1):1343–1350

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Shiri-Sverdlov R, Oefner P, Green L, Baruch RG, Wagner T, Kruglikova A, Haitchick S, Hofstra RM, Papa MZ, Mulder I, Rizel S, Bar Sade RB, Dagan E, Abdeen Z, Goldman B, Friedman E (2000) Mutational analysis of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi Jewish women with familial breast cancer. Hum Mutat 6:491–501

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Rohlf EM, Learning WG, Friedman KJ, Couch FJ, Weber BL, Silverman LM (1997) Direct detection of mutations in the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 by PCR-mediated site-directed mutagenesis. Clin Chem 43:24–29

    Google Scholar 

  16. Modan B, Hartge P, Hirsh-Yechezkel G, Chetrit A, Lubin F, Beller U, Ben-Baruch G, Fishman A, Menczer J, Struewing JP, Tucker MA, Wacholder S, National Israel Ovarian Cancer Study Group (2001) Parity, oral contraceptives, and the risk of ovarian cancer among carriers and noncarriers of a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. N Engl J Med 345(4):235–240

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Cassimos C, Sklavunu-Zurukzoglu S, Catriu D, Panajiotidu C (1973) The frequency of tonsillectomy and appendectomy in cancer patients. Cancer 32(6):1374–1379

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Howie JG, Timperley WR (1966) Cancer and appendectomy. Cancer 19(8):1138–1142

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Moertel CG, Nobrega FT, Elveback LR, Wentz JR (1974) A prospective study of appendectomy and predisposition to cancer. Surg Gynecol Obstet 138(4):549–553

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Thompson D, Easton D, Breast Cancer Linkage Consortium (2001) Variation in cancer risks, by mutation position, in BRCA2 mutation carriers. Am J Hum Genet 68(2):410–419

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was performed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation of Shiri Bernholtz, from Ort Braude, Karmiel, Israel. This study was sponsored by a grant from the Israel cancer association to the Israeli inherited breast cancer consortium.

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest regarding the data published herein.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Susanne-Levy Gertner Oncogenetics Unit, The Danek Gertner Institute of Genetics, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, 52621, Israel

    Shiri Bernholtz, Yael Laitman & Eitan Friedman

  2. Department of Gyneco-Oncology, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, 52621, Israel

    Ariella Jakobson-Setton, Jacob Korach & Gilad Ben Baruch

  3. The Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Jacob Korach, Gilad Ben Baruch & Eitan Friedman

Authors
  1. Shiri Bernholtz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ariella Jakobson-Setton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jacob Korach
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Gilad Ben Baruch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yael Laitman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Eitan Friedman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eitan Friedman.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bernholtz, S., Jakobson-Setton, A., Korach, J. et al. Appendectomy and cancer risk in Jewish BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. Breast Cancer Res Treat 131, 981–985 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-011-1807-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-011-1807-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation