The focus on altruistic factors and those related to perceived psychological benefits of testing is notable. However, somatic mutations of BRCA1 are rare in sporadic breast and ovarian tumours. To establish whether BRCA1 is altered during the development of sporadic ovarian cancer by mechanisms other than somatic mutation, we have analysed 57 sporadic epithelial ovarian tumours for BRCA1 protein and RNA expression. Decreased protein expression was significantly associated with a reduction in the levels of RNA expression. Together, these data suggest that expression of BRCA1 is down-regulated at the level of transcription during the development of sporadic ovarian cancers.
Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies among women.
The molecular mechanisms involved in breast carcinogenesis, however, remain to be elucidated. TI - Survival in epithelial ovarian cancer patients with prior breast cancer. Ovarian cancer patients who carry germ-line BRCA1 mutations may have improved survival compared with ovarian cancer patients without these mutations. To evaluate this hypothesis, the authors compared survival in ovarian cancer patients who had a history of prior breast cancer with that of patients without such a history. All 25,637 White women diagnosed with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer in SEER registries between 1973 and 1995 were included.