Clinical outcomes with breast conserving therapy for breast cancer in BRCA pathogenic variant carriers

Most breast cancer patients with BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants (PVs) choose bilateral mastectomy. A cohort study of data in a prospectively maintained database of MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) investigated clinical outcomes with breast-conserving therapy (BCT) for BRCA1/2 PV carrying women with breast cancer. The 10-year percentages were 88.5% (95% CI 83.1-94.2) for overall survival, 70.7% (63.3-78.9) for bilateral mastectomy-free survival, 12.2% (5.8-18.2) for risk of an ipsilateral breast cancer event, and 21.3% (13.3-28.6) for risk of contralateral cancer. Risks continued to increase after 10 years of follow-up. The authors conclude that BRCA1/2 PV carriers undergoing BCT for breast cancer have above-average risks of ipsilateral and contralateral breast cancer events, but most did not have another cancer event and remained bilateral mastectomy free.