Tag Archives: genetics

Men Are at Risk for BRCA-associated Cancers

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Dr. Robert Sidlow

Dr. Robert Sidlow. Photo by Richard DeWitt.

Jewish people of Ashkenazi (Eastern European) descent have an increased risk of genetic mutations that raise the likelihood of having melanoma, breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. Yet women are more likely to be screened than men. In a recent Heritage Florida Jewish News article, MSK’s Dr. Robert Sidlow offers guidance to men who may be impacted by these BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

The men Dr. Sidlow sees as director of MSK’s Male BRCA Genetic Risk Program generally make an appointment after a female relative tests positive for a BRCA mutation. He recommends that men who test positive start regular mammograms at age 50 and have clinical breast exams. They should also begin prostate cancer screening at 40, 10 years earlier than the general population.

Learn more about male breast cancer and BRCA genetic mutations.

Demystifying Mosaic Mutations

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Dr. Diana Mandelker

Diana Mandelker, MD, PhD. Photo by Ethan Kavet.

The National Cancer Institute Cancer Currents Blog recently featured the work of MSK’s Dr. Diana Mandelker and her colleagues. A study published in Cancer Discovery reviewed data from more than 35,000 patients and identified 36 patients with mosaic mutations, alterations in cancer susceptibility genes (CSG) that occurred early in the patients’ embryonic development.

Researchers had believed these mutations were rare, instead thinking most cancer-causing genetic variations were due to heredity. This study found that they likely occur, at minimum, in 1 out of every 1,000 patients. Awareness of these mutations can help determine which screening, therapy, and reproductive counseling decisions are right for patients.