Cancer Research Lab

In a study of Ashkenazi Jewish women with ovarian cancer, those with BRCA1/2 mutations had better long-term survival than women without the mutations, according to a report in the January 1st issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

“These findings are encouraging news for BRCA mutation carriers,” senior author Dr. Siegal Sadetzki, from Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel, said in a statement. “It’s possible that patients with these mutations respond better to chemotherapy. Hopefully, once we learn more about the mechanisms of this response, tailoring treatment will further improve survival.”

The findings stem from a study of 605 Ashkenazi ovarian cancer patients, including 213 (35.2%) with a mutation in the BRCA1/2 genes. The clinical features for each patient were assessed through medical record review.

With a median follow-up period of 6.2 years, the median survival period for mutation carriers was 53.7 months, significantly longer than the 37.9 months noted for noncarriers (p = 0.002).

The overall 5-year survival rate for the entire study group was 39%, the researchers found; it was 46.0% for mutation carriers versus 34.4% for noncarriers.

The mutation-based differences in 5-year survival were most dramatic for women diagnosed with advanced disease (38.1% for carriers vs. 24.5% for noncarriers) and for those with poor grade disease (45.4% for carriers vs. 31.5% for noncarriers), the authors note (p < 0.001 for both). Both differences remained statistically significant after accounting for age at diagnosis, tumor grade, and morphology.

Further analysis indicated that carriage of either BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations conferred a survival benefit relative to noncarriage, Dr. Sadetzki’s team reports.

“The current study confirms that among Ashkenazi ovarian cancer patients, BRCA1/2 mutations are associated with improve long-term survival. This may be a result of distinct clinical behavior and/or a better response to chemotherapy,” the investigators conclude.