Skip to content
Donate

Search Results for brca

Ten-year Survival Not Associated with BRCA Mutation Status

(Nov. 19, 2016) In research published this month in Gynecologic Oncology, a group of Canadian researchers have found that long-term survival is not associated with BRCA mutation status in ovarian cancer patients. Past research has shown that after a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, positive BRCA mutation status confers a mortality benefit that diminishes with time…

BRCA Mutations Confer Risk, Even in Absence of Family History

(October 15, 2015)  According to a Japanese study published in Cancer, BRCA1/2 gene mutations may be associated with an inherited risk of ovarian cancer regardless of family history. The researchers examined 95 women with ovarian cancer who were treated from 2013 to 2015.  BRCA1/2 gene mutation tests were performed with next-generation sequencing in order to determine a link between germline mutations and hereditary risk…

Most Women Getting BRCA Test not Getting Genetic Counseling

(October 7, 2015) A report published in JAMA Oncology shows that most commercially insured women who underwent BRCA genetic testing did not receive genetic counseling by trained genetics professionals.  Lack of clinician recommendation was the most commonly reported reason why they didn’t receive genetic counseling. The study authors examined the factors associated with use of BRCA testing…

EMSY Suppresses HDR in a BRCA2-interaction-independent Manner

Ongoing efforts in our laboratory have been towards understanding the biology of ovarian cancer and identifying new treatments from which patients with ovarian cancer could benefit. Recent efforts have focused on exploring therapies that will target specific subgroups of patients with ovarian cancers with similar genetic alterations. These kinds of therapies are generally known as targeted therapies…

Oophorectomy Increases Breast Cancer Survival in BRCA1 Mutation Carriers

(April 29, 2015) A study published in JAMA Oncology last Saturday concluded that an oophorectomy, the surgery to remove ones ovaries, has a substantial impact on survival rates for those diagnosed with stage I or II breast cancer who also tested positive for the BRCA1 mutation. Involved in the study were 676 women, 345 of whom had their ovaries removed and 331 who did not have the surgery…

BRCA Cancer Risk Differs With Type and Location of Mutations

(April 15, 2015) Doctors have long recognized that women with mutations in two particular genes – BRCA1 and BRCA2 – have a higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Now they are starting to figure out which mutations are worse than others. They have even discovered that some of these mutations may reduce a woman's risk of breast or ovarian cancer to levels much lower than previously thought…

BRCA1/2 Mutations and 10 year Survival in Ovarian Cancer

(January 22, 2015) In a study published in Clinical Cancer Research, researchers analyzed the effect of germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 on mortality in ovarian cancer patients up to ten years after diagnosis. The researchers found that BRCA1/2 mutations are associated with better short-term survival, but this advantage decreases over time and…

Population Screening for BRCA Mutations in Ashkenazi Jewish Women is Cost-Effective

Population-based testing for BRCA 1/2 gene mutations detects the high proportion of carriers not identified by cancer family history (FH)-based testing. A new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute compared the cost-effectiveness of population-based BRCA testing with the standard FH-based approach in Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) women. The study found that population-based screening for BRCA mutations is highly cost-effective compared with an FH-based approach in AJ women age 30 years and older…

A Cellular Switch to Modulate BRCA2-mediated Tumor Progression

BRCA2 (Breast Cancer Susceptibility Gene 2) was originally identified as one of two genes responsible for familial inherited breast and ovarian cancer. Women who inherit a mutant copy of BRCA2 harbor up to a 70% lifetime risk for developing ovarian cancer. Moreover, these women carrying BRCA2 mutations are at risk for developing a particularly insidious form of ovarian cancer termed high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma…

Drug Combination Impacts Outcomes in Ovarian Cancer Patients without BRCA Mutations

BRCA mutations in ovarian cancer are a double-edged sword.  While BRCA gene mutation carriers have a significantly higher risk of developing ovarian cancer, BRCA gene mutation in tumors is associated with a significant increase in patient survival.  Scientists believe that this is because loss of BRCA gene expression leads to an increase tumor cell response to chemotherapy…

Breastfeeding, Birth Control Pills May Reduce Ovarian Cancer Risk Among Women with BRCA Gene Mutations

(May 16, 2014) Breastfeeding, tubal ligation – also known as having one's "tubes tied" – and oral contraceptives may lower the risk of ovarian cancer for some women with BRCA gene mutations, according to a comprehensive analysis from a team at the University of Pennsylvania's Basser Research Center for BRCA. The Basser Research Center for BRCA was established with a gift from OCRF Board member Mindy Gray…

Discoverer of BRCA genes said “being ignored” helped her do her research

Last week marked the 20th year anniversary of the discovery of the BRCA1 gene by Mary-Claire King, Ph.D., an American geneticist. Dr. King, who was interviewed last week by NPR, talked about how being ignored by her male colleagues actually made it easier for her to do her work. At the time of her discovery…