Davis, Brigette Tippin

Abstract To evaluate the racial and ethnic differences in prevalence of germline pathogenic variants (PVs) and the effect of race and ethnicity on breast cancer (BC) risk among carriers, results of multigene testing of 77 900 women with BC (non-Hispanic White [NHW] = 57 003; Ashkenazi-Jewish = 4798; Black = 6722; Hispanic = 5194; and Asian = 4183) were analyzed, and the frequency of PVs in each gene were compared between BC patients (cases) and race- and ethnicity-matched gnomAD reference controls. Compared with NHWs, BRCA1 PVs were enriched in Ashkenazi-Jews and Hispanics, whereas CHEK2 PVs were statistically significantly lower in Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians (all 2-sided P < .05). In case-control studies, BARD1 PVs were associated with high risks (odds ratio > 4.00) of BC in Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians; ATM PVs were associated with increased risk of BC among all races and ethnicities except Asians, whereas CHEK2 and BRIP1 PVs were associated with increased risk of BC among NHWs and Hispanics only. These findings suggest a need for personalized management of BC risk in PV carriers based on race and ethnicity.

1514 Background: The prevalence of germline mutations in non-white patients with breast cancer and the germline genetic drivers of breast cancer risk in non-white populations are largely unknown. Methods: The study population included 77,900 women with breast cancer (Non-Hispanic white: 57,003; Black: 6,722; Asian: 4,183; Hispanic: 5,194; Ashkenazi-Jewish: 4,798) who underwent germline multigene panel testing of cancer predisposition genes from March 2012 to December 2016. The prevalence of predisposition gene mutations in racial and ethnic populations relative to non-Hispanic Whites was assessed while accounting for age at diagnosis of breast cancer, family history of breast and ovarian cancer, and estrogen receptor status of breast tumors. Associations between mutations in each gene and breast cancer risk were evaluated using reference controls. Results: The overall frequency of pathogenic mutations in known breast cancer predisposition genes was 9.1% for non-Hispanic Whites, 9.8% for African Americans, 10.2% for Hispanics, 7.6% for Ashkenazi-Jewish, and 7.5% for Asians. BRCA1 mutations were enriched (p < 0.05) and CHEK2 mutations were under-represented in all racial and ethnic populations relative to non-Hispanic Whites. BRCA2 and BARD1 mutations were enriched in African Americans and Hispanics relative to non-Hispanic Whites, whereas PALB2 and RAD51C mutations were enriched in Hispanics. Among genes with mutation counts large enough for assessment, mutations in BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 and TP53 were significantly associated with clinically relevant increased risks (odds ratio (OR) > 2) of breast cancer across all ethnicities and races. Rates of variants of uncertain significance were highest among Asians (29%), followed by blacks (27%), Hispanics (21%), non-Hispanic whites (16%) and Ashkenazi-Jews (14%). Conclusions: While there is some similarity across ethnic groups, substantial heterogeneity exists in the prevalence of mutations in breast cancer predisposition genes across major racial and ethnic groups in the US population. These findings contribute to our understanding of breast cancer risk and have significant implications for genetic testing, screening, and management of patients with an inherited predisposition to breast cancer, with a need for continued analysis with increased cohort size in ethnic minority groups.

Purpose The relevance of inherited pathogenic mutations in cancer predisposition genes in pancreatic cancer is not well understood. We aimed to assess the characteristics of patients with pancreatic cancer referred for hereditary cancer genetic testing and to estimate the risk of pancreatic cancer associated with mutations in panel-based cancer predisposition genes in this high-risk population. Methods Patients with pancreatic cancer (N = 1,652) were identified from a 140,000-patient cohort undergoing multigene panel testing of predisposition genes between March 2012 and June 2016. Gene-level mutation frequencies relative to Exome Aggregation Consortium and Genome Aggregation Database reference controls were assessed. Results The frequency of germline cancer predisposition gene mutations among patients with pancreatic cancer was 20.73%. Mutations in ATM, BRCA2, CDKN2A, MSH2, MSH6, PALB2, and TP53 were associated with high pancreatic cancer risk (odds ratio, > 5), and mutations in BRCA1 were associated with moderate risk (odds ratio, > 2). In a logistic regression model adjusted for age at diagnosis and family history of cancer, ATM and BRCA2 mutations were associated with personal history of breast or pancreatic cancer, whereas PALB2 mutations were associated with family history of breast or pancreatic cancer. Conclusion These findings provide insight into the spectrum of mutations expected in patients with pancreatic cancer referred for cancer predisposition testing. Mutations in eight genes confer high or moderate risk of pancreatic cancer and may prove useful for risk assessment for pancreatic and other cancers. Family and personal histories of breast cancer are strong predictors of germline mutations.

Abstract Purpose: The relevance of inherited pathogenic variants in cancer predisposition genes to pancreatic cancer (PC) is not well understood. Several small studies have identified pathogenic variants in 4% to 14% of unselected PC patients using multigene panels of predisposition genes, but only BRCA2, ATM, and PALB2 have been clearly implicated in this disease. We aimed to assess the clinical and molecular characteristics of PC patients referred for hereditary cancer genetic testing, and to estimate the risk of PC associated with pathogenic variants in panel-based cancer predisposition genes. Methods: PC patients (n=1,819) were ascertained from a large cohort of over 140,000 patients undergoing multigene panel testing (MGPT) of predisposition genes between March 2012 and June 2016 at a single diagnostic laboratory. Clinical histories and molecular results were reviewed and summarized. Gene-level variant frequencies among PC cases were compared to those from the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC) to calculate gene-specific pancreatic cancer risk ratios. Results: PC patients were predominantly Caucasian (76.5%) and female (58.9%), with a median age at diagnosis of 61 years (51.7). Of these, 33.5% reported additional cancer primaries, and 44.8% reported a family history of PC. Overall, 15.4% of PC patients were found to have at least one pathogenic/likely pathogenic variant in panel-based predisposition genes. Genes with the highest frequencies of pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants included BRCA2 (3.9%), ATM (3.6%), CHEK2 (excluding p.Ile157Thr) (2.0%), PALB2 (1.5%), VHL (1.4%), CDKN2A (1.2%), BRCA1 (0.8%), and MSH6 (0.8%). 21.8% of BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers did not meet BRCA1/2 testing criteria and 61.5% of MSH6 carriers did not meet Lynch syndrome testing criteria. No CDKN2A families met diagnostic criteria for familial atypical multiple mole melanoma syndrome, and 44% did not report any personal or family history of melanoma. To estimate associations between pathogenic variants and pancreatic cancer, Caucasian PC cases were compared to non-Finnish European, non-TCGA ExAC reference controls. Pathogenic variants in ATM, BRCA2, CDKN2A, MSH6, and PALB2 were significantly associated with high PC risks. Pathogenic variants in BRCA1 were associated with a moderate risk of PC (RR=2.7). Conclusions: These findings shed light on the spectrum of mutations that can be expected for PC patients referred for cancer predisposition testing. The results confirm the associations of CDKN2A and BRCA2 variants with PC, and expand on the phenotypic spectrum associated with these variants. Furthermore, these results suggest that ATM, PALB2, and MSH6 may be high-risk PC genes, warranting further investigation in case-control and family-based studies. Citation Format: Holly LaDuca, Chunling Hu, Hermela Shimelis, Eric Polley, Jenna Lilyquist, Mary Helen Black, Brigette Tippin Davis, David E. Goldgar, Jill Dolinsky, Fergus J. Couch. What have we learned from pancreatic cancer patients undergoing multigene panel testing [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4286. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4286