Cancer Surveillance in Healthy Carriers of Germline Pathogenic Variants in BRCA1/2: A Review of Secondary Prevention Guidelines

Table 1

Overview of lifetime cancer risks in carriers of germline BRCA1/2 (likely) pathogenic variants.

Type of malignancy	Lifetime risk of malignancy
	General population (%)	BRCA1 (%)	BRCA2 (%)
Breast, female [10, 11]	12	72	69
Breast, male [11–13]	0.1	1.2	6.8–8.4
Ovarian [10, 11]	1-2	44	17
Pancreatic^‡ [14–16]	0.5	1–3	2–7
Prostate^‡ [11, 17, 18]	6 (by age 65)	8.6 (by age 65)	15 (by age 65)
Colorectal^‡ [11, 19]	4-5	Possibly elevated	¥
Endometrial^‡ [11, 20]	3	Possibly elevated	¥
Melanoma^‡ [11, 21]	2-3	¥	Possibly elevated

^‡Lifetime risks not estimated, extrapolated from odds ratios/standardized incidence ratios. ^¥Insufficient or inconsistent data about possible association with increased risk.