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A high prevalence of BRCA1 mutations among breast cancer patients from the Bahamas

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Abstract

The Bahamas is a group of islands in the Caribbean with a high incidence of early onset breast cancer. In isolated populations, the identification of founder mutations in cancer predisposing genes may facilitate genetic testing and counseling. To date, six distinct BRCA1 mutations have been found in patients from cancer families from the Bahamas. The frequencies of these mutant alleles have not been measured in a large series of unselected breast cancer patients from Bahamas. We studied 214 Bahamian women with invasive breast cancer, unselected for age or family history of cancer. All patients were screened for six mutations in the BRCA1 gene that have previously been reported in cancer patients from the Bahamas. A mutation was identified in 49 of the 214 breast cancer patients (23%). The mutation frequency was particularly high in women diagnosed before age 50 (33%) in women with a first-degree relative with breast or ovarian cancer (41%) and in women with bilateral breast cancer (58%). Approximately 23% of unselected cases of breast cancer in the Bahamian population are attributable to a founder mutation in the BRCA1 gene—this is the highest reported mutation prevalence for any country studied to date. Genetic testing for these mutations is advisable for all women diagnosed with breast cancer in the Bahamas.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Earle Bethell for the Cancer Society of the Bahamas, Norma Headley for the Cancer Association of Grand Bahama. We thank Dr. Tracey Roberts for referring patients to the study. We thank Sophie Narod, Shannon Uhera and Marcia Llacuachaqui for technical support. We would like to thank Susan Roberts, Marjolein Scott, Juanita Pinder and Lynette Underwood for their hospitality and help with patient scheduling. Supported by Komen for the Cure, Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative and the Ride for Hope.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Talia Donenberg & Judith Hurley

  2. Doctor’s Hospital, Nassau, Bahamas

    John Lunn

  3. Princess Margaret Hospital, Nassau, Bahamas

    DuVaughn Curling & Theodore Turnquest

  4. Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, FL, USA

    Elisa Krill-Jackson

  5. Womens College Research Institute, 790 Bay, Toronto, ON, M5G 1N8, Canada

    Robert Royer & Steven A. Narod

Authors
  1. Talia Donenberg
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  2. John Lunn
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  3. DuVaughn Curling
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  4. Theodore Turnquest
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  5. Elisa Krill-Jackson
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  6. Robert Royer
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  7. Steven A. Narod
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  8. Judith Hurley
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Steven A. Narod.

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Donenberg, T., Lunn, J., Curling, D. et al. A high prevalence of BRCA1 mutations among breast cancer patients from the Bahamas. Breast Cancer Res Treat 125, 591–596 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-010-1156-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-010-1156-9

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