Carriers of a BRCA2 variation specific to Iceland are more likely to develop aggressive and lethal prostate cancer than noncarriers, according to a study published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Mutations in the BRCA2 gene are associated with increased prostate cancer risk, but it has been unclear whether they are related to progression of the disease.
Laufey Tryggvadóttir of the Icelandic Cancer Registry and colleagues compared survival and disease progression in prostate cancer patients with the Icelandic BRCA2 999del5 founder mutation and those without the mutation. Using a pool of male relatives of women with breast cancer, researchers identified prostate cancer patients diagnosed in Iceland between 1955 and 2004. The mutation was present in 30 patients (5.7%).
The mutation's carriers were younger at the time of diagnosis and had more advanced staged cancer, higher-grade tumors, and shorter median survival time (2.1 years vs. 12.4 years) compared with noncarriers.