Novel germline PALB2 truncating mutations in African American breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND:

It has been demonstrated that the partner and localizer of breast cancer 2 (PALB2) acts as a bridging molecule between the breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) and BRCA2 proteins and is responsible for facilitating BRCA2‐mediated DNA repair. Truncating mutations in the PALB2 gene reportedly are enriched in patients with Fanconi anemia and breast cancer in various populations.

METHODS:

The authors evaluated the contribution of PALB2 germline mutations in 279 African American women with breast cancer, including 29 patients with a strong family history, 29 patients with a moderate family history, 75 patients with a weak family history, and 146 patients with nonfamilial or sporadic breast cancer.

RESULTS:

After direct sequencing of all the coding exons, exon/intron boundaries, and 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions of PALB2, 3 novel, monoallelic, truncating mutations (1.08%; 3 in 279 patients) were identified (c.758dupT [exon 4], c.1479delC [exon 4], and c.3048delT [exon 10]) together with 50 sequence variants, 27 of which were novel. None of the truncating mutations were identified in a group of 262 controls from the same population.

CONCLUSIONS:

PALB2 mutations were present in both familial and nonfamilial breast cancers among African Americans. Rare PALB2 mutations accounted for a small but substantial proportion of patients with breast cancer. Cancer 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society.