Prevalence of Pathogenic Mutations in Cancer Predisposition Genes among Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2016 Jan;25(1):207-11. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-15-0455. Epub 2015 Oct 19.

Abstract

The prevalence of germline pathogenic mutations in a comprehensive panel of cancer predisposition genes is not well-defined for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). To estimate the frequency of mutations in a panel of 22 cancer predisposition genes, 96 patients unselected for a family history of cancer who were recruited to the Mayo Clinic Pancreatic Cancer patient registry over a 12-month period were screened by next-generation sequencing. Fourteen pathogenic mutations in 13 patients (13.5%) were identified in eight genes: four in ATM, two in BRCA2, CHEK2, and MSH6, and one in BARD1, BRCA1, FANCM, and NBN. These included nine mutations (9.4%) in established pancreatic cancer genes. Three mutations were found in patients with a first-degree relative with PDAC, and 10 mutations were found in patients with first- or second-degree relatives with breast, pancreas, colorectal, ovarian, or endometrial cancers. These results suggest that a substantial proportion of patients with PDAC carry germline mutations in predisposition genes associated with other cancers and that a better understanding of pancreatic cancer risk will depend on evaluation of families with broad constellations of tumors. These findings highlight the need for recommendations governing germline gene-panel testing of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics*
  • Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / genetics*
  • Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / pathology
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease*
  • Genetic Testing
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mutation / genetics*
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Prevalence
  • Prognosis
  • Prospective Studies

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor