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National Cancer Institute U.S. National Institutes of Health www.cancer.gov
Radiation Epidemiology Branch

BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 in Male Breast Cancer

Male breast cancer and BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutations

The etiology of breast cancer in men is not well understood, although the risk of male breast cancer is higher among carriers of BRCA2 compared with carriers of BRCA1. Germline mutations in the BRCA1&2 genes were investigated in 120 Israeli male breast cancer patients suggested that >17% of Jewish men diagnosed with breast cancer in Israel carry a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2. The study is currently being enlarged to include cases from other hospitals in Israel. In a separate evaluation of SEER data, the risk of subsequent breast cancer in men with a first primary breast cancer revealed a strongly elevated risk for cancer of the contralateral breast, and was higher for men diagnosed with a first breast cancer before age 50 compared to older men.