Metachronic cancers among women with brest cancer and BRCA1 mutation

Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide and in Poland. Mutation in BRCA1 gene is responsible for approximately 6% breast cancers in Poland diagnosed before the age of 50. BRCA1 dependent cancers occur early and frequently are bilateral. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the frequency of metachronic cancers in the population of 42 patients with breast cancer and BRCA1 mutation. Material and methods: Medical histories of 196 patients with confirmed mutation in BRCA1 gene consulted in the Krakow Branch of the Maria Sklodowska Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology between 2005 and 2016 were analyzed. Medical histories of 42 patients with breast cancer were chosen for further analysis in the aspect of metachronic cancers. Results: During the observation period (mean of 10 years) 21 (50%) metachronic cancers were diagnosed, breast cancer was the most common one occurring in 16 (38%) cases. Additionally, 2 synchronic breast cancers occurred, and in 3 other cases breast cancer was the metachronic one. Conclusions: In light of the obtained results, the medical community should be aware of the scale of the problem of metachronic cancers among the patients with diagnosed BRCA1 mutation. Intensified surveillance for early detection of metachronic cancer and perspective of prophylactic mastectomy and adnexectomy for women treated from BRCA1 positive breast cancer should be considered.