Steven Alexander Narod

A population-based series of 649 unselected incident cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed in Ontario, Canada, during 1995-96 was screened for germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2. We specifically tested for 11 of the most commonly reported mutations in the two genes. Then, cases were assessed with the protein-truncation test (PTT) for exon 11 of BRCA1, with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis for the remainder of BRCA1, and with PTT for exons 10 and 11 of BRCA2. No mutations were found ...

BACKGROUND: Several of the known risk factors for ovarian cancer are thought to act through their effects on ovulation and the menstrual cycle, such as parity, breastfeeding, and use of oral contraceptives. We aimed to assess the effect of these three risk factors, and of tubal ligation, on the risk of ovarian cancer in women who carry a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.

METHODS: We did a matched case-control study in women who were found to carry a pathogenetic mutation in BRCA1 or ...

CONTEXT: Current recommendations for women who have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation are to undergo breast surveillance from age 25 years onward with mammography annually and clinical breast examination (CBE) every 6 months; however, many tumors are detected at a relatively advanced stage. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound may improve the ability to detect breast cancer at an early stage.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the sensitivity and specificity of 4 methods of breast cancer ...

OBJECTIVE: Prophylactic surgical removal of the ovaries has been offered for many years as a potential preventative of ovarian cancer in women deemed to be at increased hereditary risk for this disease. Now, it is possible to test for specific mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that render members of hereditary breast ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome families susceptible to cancer. Widespread intra-abdominal carcinomatosis, which mimics metastatic ovarian serous carcinoma, has been ...

Prophylactic bilateral mastectomy is an option for women who are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Prophylactic mastectomy is often performed with immediate reconstruction (i.e., at the same time and under the same anesthetic as the mastectomy). Satisfaction with reconstruction has been described previously for women with mastectomy for breast cancer. However, the authors know of no previous research that has reported on satisfaction with reconstruction in patients who ...

IMPORTANCE: Women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), or stage 0 breast cancer, often experience a second primary breast cancer (DCIS or invasive), and some ultimately die of breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the 10- and 20-year mortality from breast cancer following a diagnosis of DCIS and to establish whether the mortality rate is influenced by age at diagnosis, ethnicity, and initial treatment received.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Observational study of women who received ...

IMPORTANCE: Women with early-stage breast cancers are expected to have excellent survival rates. It is important to identify factors that predict diagnosis of early-stage breast cancers.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of breast cancers that were identified at an early stage (stage I) in different racial/ethnic groups and whether ethnic differences may be better explained by early detection or by intrinsic biological differences in tumor aggressiveness.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND ...

The AURKA oncogene is associated with abnormal chromosome segregation and aneuploidy and predisposition to cancer. Amplification of AURKA has been detected at higher frequency in tumors from BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers than in sporadic breast tumors, suggesting that overexpression of AURKA and inactivation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 cooperate during tumor development and progression. The F31I polymorphism in AURKA has been associated with breast cancer risk in the homozygous state in prior ...

Early age at first birth and multiparity have been associated with a decrease in the risk of breast cancer in women in the general population. We examined whether this relationship is also present in women at high risk of breast cancer due to the presence of a mutation in either of the 2 breast cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 or BRCA2. We performed a matched case-control study of 1,260 pairs of women with known BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, recruited from North America, Europe and Israel. ...

BACKGROUND: Women with a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 have a high risk of developing breast cancer and of contralateral cancer after the initial diagnosis of breast cancer. Tamoxifen protects against contralateral breast cancer in the general population, but whether it protects against contralateral breast cancer in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers is not known.

METHODS: We compared 209 women with bilateral breast cancer and BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation (bilateral-disease cases), with 384 women ...

Genetic testing for mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 is available in Canada for women with a significant family history of breast cancer. For the majority of tested women, a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation is not found, and counselling regarding breast cancer risk is based on the review of the pedigree. In this prospective study, we estimate breast cancer risks in women with a family history of breast cancer and for whom the proband tested negative for a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2. Families with two ...

The contribution of BRCA1 and BRCA2 to inherited breast cancer was assessed by linkage and mutation analysis in 237 families, each with at least four cases of breast cancer, collected by the Breast Cancer Linkage Consortium. Families were included without regard to the occurrence of ovarian or other cancers. Overall, disease was linked to BRCA1 in an estimated 52% of families, to BRCA2 in 32% of families, and to neither gene in 16% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6%-28%), suggesting other ...

IMPORTANCE: Women who carry a germline mutation in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene face a lifetime risk of breast cancer of up to 70%, and once they receive a diagnosis of breast cancer, they face high risks of both second primary breast and ovarian cancers. Preventive bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is recommended to women with a BRCA mutation at age 35 years or thereafter to prevent breast and ovarian cancer, but it is unclear whether oophorectomy has an impact on survival in women with ...

Importance: Increasing numbers of women experience pregnancy around the time of, or after, a diagnosis of breast cancer. Understanding the effect of pregnancy on survival in women with breast cancer will help in the counseling and treatment of these women.

Objective: To compare the overall survival of women diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy or in the postpartum period with that of women who had breast cancer but did not become pregnant.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This ...