Possible Link Between Ovarian/Breast Cancer Found by Study

The December issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology included a study which stated that alterations to the BRCA1 gene were linked with the premature decrease in egg reserve. The BRCA1 gene is associated with an early onset of breast cancer. The findings in this study could perhaps provide some insight towards the connection between infertility and breast/ovarian cancer.

The study, carried out by a team led by Dr. Kutluk Oktay, MD, Director, Division of Reproductive Medicine & Infertility, Westchester Medical Center subjected 126 women suffering from breast cancer to ovarian stimulation with the intention of fertility preservation by embryo or oocyte cryopreservation.

The ratio of women who are BRCA mutation positive is 1:1000, with an incidence rate of 2.5% found amongst particular ethnic groups.
According to the findings of the study, a unique correlation exists between low response to ovarian stimulation with fertility drugs and BRCA1 mutations. This in turn then proposes a possible connection between infertility and breast/ovarian cancer. Studies of this nature are especially useful with families holding a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer with larger studies to be conducted on the subject.

The results of the study also include the following:

57% of the study population underwent a BRCA testing
14 of them had a mutation in BRCA genes
A low ovarian response rate was much higher in BRCA mutation-negative patients in comparison to BRCA mutation-negative patients and BRCA untested women
All BRCA mutation-positive low responders had BRCA1 mutations
Low response not encountered in women who were only BRCA2 mutation positive
BRCA1 mutation and not BRCA2 mutation-positive women produced a lower numbers of eggs