Multiplex SNaPshot for detection of BRCA1/2 common mutations in Spanish and Spanish related breast/ovarian cancer families

Background It is estimated that 5–10% of all breast cancer are hereditary and attributable to mutations in the highly penetrance susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. The genetic analysis of these genes is complex and expensive essentially because their length. Nevertheless, the presence of recurrent and founder mutations allows a pre-screening for the identification of the most frequent mutations found in each geographical region. In Spain, five mutations in BRCA1 and other five in BRCA2 account for approximately 50% of the mutations detected in Spanish families.