ecancermedicalscience

Short Communication

Hereditary breast cancer and ancestry in the Madeira archipelago: an exploratory study

5 Jul 2021
Isália Miguel, Fátima Rodrigues, Sofia Fragoso, João Freixo, Ana Clara, Ana Luis, Sandra Bento, Mariana Fernandes, Filipe Bacelar, Sara Câmara, Joana Parreira, Teresa Duarte, Paula Rodrigues, Sidónia Santos, Fátima Vaz

Access to genetic testing and counselling in remote areas such as the Madeira archipelago, in the Northern Atlantic Ocean, may be complex. Different counselling methods, including telegenetics, should be explored. In this study, we characterise the Hereditary Breast/Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) families with Madeira ancestry enrolled in our programme. Of a total of 3,566 index patients tested between January 2000 and June 2018, 68 had Madeira ancestry and 22 were diagnosed with a pathogenic germline variant (PV). As in the whole group, BRCA2 PV were more frequent in Madeira patients (68.4%: c.9382C>T (26.3%), c.658_659del (21%), c.156_157insAlu (10.5%), c.793+1G>A (5.3%) and c.298A>T (5.3%). However, the most frequently diagnosed PV in Madeira patients was the BRCA1 c.3331_3334del (31.6%). BRCA1/2 detection rates were 27.9% and 10.5% for Madeira and the whole group, respectively. This study is the first characterisation of HBOC patients with Madeira ancestry. A distinct pattern of BRCA1/2 variants was observed, and the geographic clustering of BRCA1 c.3331_3334del variant may support the possibility of a founder mutation previously described in Northern Portugal. The high detection rate observed reinforces the need to reduce gaps in access to genetic testing in Madeira and other remote areas. According to current guidelines, timely identification of HBOC patients can contribute to their ongoing care and treatment.

Related Articles

Sandy Minck, Gerda Evans, Marie Lowe, Cindy Schultz-Ferguson, Catherine Woulfe, Kym Berchtenbreiter, Krysty Sullivan, Ann White, Lynette Moore, Susan Jarvis, Wendy V Ingman, Jennifer Stone
Abeir El-Mogassabi, Heithum Saleh Baiu, Nadin Omer Hassan, Enas Mohamed Salem, Lugien Elshakmak, Khalil A K Tamoos, Mohammed Zidan, Asma Rajab Ben Rashid, Ala Elhoudiri, Sama Elmehdawi, Dania Shareia
Md Foorquan Hashmi, Fiza Khan, Elen Baloyan, Liana Safaryan, Davit Zohrabyan, Gevorg Tamamyan, Samvel Bardakhchyan
Marco Aurélio Bertúlio das Neves, Noemi Dreyer Galvão, Fernanda Cristina da Silva de Lima, Júlio Fernando Pinto Oliveria, Sancho Pedro Xavier, Ageo Mário Cândido da Silva
Raul Puente-Vallejo, Alex García-Gutiérrez, Sebastián Jara-Jimenez, Martina Natalia Mosquera-Ruiz, Wilmer Tarupi
Gabriel Berlingieri Polho, Leticia Kimie Murazawa, Vinicius Vitor Oliveira, Victor Rocha Pinheiro, Diana del Cisne Pineda Labanda, Yumi Ricucci Shinkado, Romualdo Barroso-Sousa, Luciana Rodrigues Carvalho Barros, Laura Testa, Renata Colombo Bonadio