Can contralateral prophylactic mastectomy and oophorectomy increase survival in BRCA-related breast cancer? Results from the Italian MUTina study

Association between risk-reducing surgeries and survival in young BRCA carriers with breast cancer: an international cohort study

BACKGROUND

Little evidence exists on the effect of risk-reducing surgeries in young BRCA carriers with a previous history of breast cancer. We investigated the association between risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) or risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO), or both procedures, with survival outcomes in a large global cohort of young BRCA carriers with previous breast cancer.

METHODS

The BRCA BCY Collaboration is an international, hospital-based, retrospective cohort study, conducted at 109 centres in five continents, including women harbouring germline BRCA1, BRCA2, or both, pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants and diagnosed with stage I-III invasive breast cancer at the age of 40 years or younger between Jan 1, 2000, and Dec 31, 2020. The primary objectives of the present analysis were to determine the association between RRM or RRSO and overall survival in young BRCA carriers with breast cancer. The primary endpoint was overall survival. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03673306.

FINDINGS

Between Jan 1, 2000 and Dec 31, 2020, 5290 patients were included, of whom 3361 (63·5%) patients were BRCA1 pathogenic variant carriers, 2708 (51·2%) had node-negative, and 2421 (45·8%) hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Of 5290 patients, 2910 (55·0%) underwent RRM, 2782 (52·6%) underwent RRSO. After a median follow-up of 8·2 years (IQR 4·7-12·8), RRM was associated with significantly better overall survival compared with no RRM (adjusted HR [aHR] 0·65, 95% CI 0·53-0·78; 20-year restricted mean overall survival time 17·89 years [95% CI 17·61-18·17] with RRM vs 16·65 years [16·38-16·92] without RRM). RRSO was also associated with significantly better overall survival compared with no RRSO (aHR 0·58, 95% CI 0·48-0·71; 20-year restricted mean overall survival time 17·73 years [95% CI 17·43-18·03] with RRSO vs 16·67 years [16·38-16·96] without RRSO).

INTERPRETATION

In this global cohort of BRCA carriers with previous breast cancer diagnosis at a young age, RRM and RRSO were both associated with a significant improvement in overall survival. These findings provide evidence for a tailored counselling of a unique and high-risk patient population on cancer risk management strategies.

FUNDING

Italian Association for Cancer Research.

Bilateral Breast Cancer

This article is a review of the characteristics of bilateral breast cancer (BBC). Synchronous bilateral breast cancer (SBBC) and metachronous bilateral breast cancer (MBBC) account for 2.9-3.9% and 4.1-4.6% of all new breast cancer cases, respectively. The risk factors for SBBC include older patient age and lobular histology. On the other hand, younger age, lobular histology, and positive family history (or genetic factors) are the risk factors for MBBC. Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy in patients with mutations in the BRCA1/2 genes has been reported to increase survival rates. The prognosis of patients with SBBC is worse than the prognosis of patients with unilateral breast cancer (UBC). The prognosis of patients with MBBC compared to patients with UBC remains undetermined because the ages of patients and the intervals between the occurrence of two primary breast cancers appear to have a major impact on survival outcomes. The differences between SBBC and MBBC need clarification to increase our understanding of BBCs.