Friday, September 22, 2017

Day 22 A Month of Teal: Gene Mutations and Ovarian Cancer

Most ovarian cancers are sporadic. They are caused by somatic mutations.

But about 20 to 25 percent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer have a hereditary tendency to develop the disease. This tendency is called Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Syndrome (HBOC). HBOC may be diagnosed if your family history shows multiple members of the same side of your family being diagnosed with breast and/or ovarian cancer.
Cancer.net lists these situations as indicative of HBOC
  • 1 or more women are diagnosed at age 45 or younger
  • 1 or more women are diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50 with additional family history of cancer, such as prostate cancermelanoma, and pancreatic cancer
  • There are breast and/or ovarian cancers in multiple generations on the same side of the family, such as having both a grandmother and an aunt on the father’s side both diagnosed with these cancers
  • A woman is diagnosed with a second breast cancer in the same or the other breast or has both breast and ovarian cancers
  • male relative is diagnosed with breast cancer
  • There is a history of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and/or pancreatic cancer on the same side of the family
  • There is a history of breast and/or ovarian, pancreatic, or male breast cancer in a family of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry
What germline mutations are linked to Hereditary Ovarian Cancer?
"Between 65 and 85 percent of germline mutations are in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. The lifetime risk of ovarian cancer in women with a BRCA1 gene mutation is 40 to 60 percent, and the lifetime risk in women with a BRCA2 gene mutation is 20 to 35 percent."

"A significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer is also a feature of certain rare genetic syndromes, including a disorder called Lynch syndrome. Lynch syndrome is most often associated with mutations in the MLH1 or MSH2 gene and accounts for between 10 and 15 percent of hereditary ovarian cancers."

Are there other mutations linked to  ovarian cancer? 
Yes, other mutations  include:
Source:NIH  https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/ovarian-cancer#genes  

It is recommended by the Society of Gynecologic Oncology that all women diagnosed with ovarian cancer have genetic testing. (https://www.sgo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/PB-182.pdf)
The SGO also has available a Genetics Toolkit 2016  online.

Additional information on HBOC may be found on the FORCE website http://www.facingourrisk.org/index.php 

My next post for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month will be on Monday Sept 25th. 

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing! 


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