Whole-exome sequencing and targeted gene sequencing provide insights into the role ofPALB2as a male breast cancer susceptibility gene
BACKGROUND Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease whose etiology appears to be largely associated with genetic factors. BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations account for about 10% of all MBC cases. Thus, a fraction of MBC cases are expected to be due to genetic factors not yet identified. To further explain the genetic susceptibility for MBC, whole-exome sequencing (WES) and targeted gene sequencing were applied to high-risk, BRCA1/2 mutation–negative MBC cases. METHODS Germ-line DNA of 1 male and 2 female BRCA1/2 mutation–negative breast cancer (BC) cases from a pedigree showing a first-degree family history of MBC was analyzed with WES. Targeted gene sequencing for the validation of WES results w…
Novel and known genetic variants for male breast cancer risk at 8q24.21, 9p21.3, 11q13.3 and 14q24.1: Results from a multicenter study in Italy
Increasing evidence indicates that common genetic variants may contribute to the heritable risk of breast cancer (BC). In this study, we investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), within the 8q24.21 multi-cancer susceptibility region and within BC-associated loci widespread in the genome, may influence the risk of BC in men, and whether they may be associated with specific clinical-pathologic characteristics of male BC (MBC). In the frame of the ongoing Italian Multicenter Study on MBC, we performed a case-control study on 386 MBC cases, including 50 BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, and 1105 healthy male controls, including 197 unaffected BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. All 1491 subj…