Inherited breast cancer predisposition in Asians: multigene panel testing outcomes from Singapore

A survey of the genes responsible for hereditary breast cancer among women in Singapore could help tailor genetic risk testing for Asians. A team led by Ann Lee from the National Cancer Centre of Singapore screened for mutations in 25 genes known to raise a person's likelihood of developing breast and/or ovarian cancers. The study included a multi-racial cohort of 220 Asian women, all of whom had at least one high-risk feature indicative of a genetic susceptibility to the disease. The researchers identified cancer-causing mutations in 66 of the patients. Around half of the mutations occurred in BRCA1 and BRCA2, the best-known genes linked to breast cancer risk, and the other half in PALB2, TP53, PTEN and CDH1, among other genes. This study could provide a framework for genetic cancer-risk assessments in Asia.