The identification of a germline mutation in the BRCA genes plays a crucial role in the management of cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. In healthy BRCA carriers, the detection of a mutation may justify more intensive and personalized surveillance programs, chemopreventive approaches, and prophylactic surgery that would not otherwise be justified by family history alone. On the other hand, the identification of a mutation in already affected patients may provide fundamental knowledge of the pathogenesis of these tumors, guiding treatment choices. Particularly, the impairment of the homologous recombination pathway is thought to confer a major sensitivity to platinum agents, and the inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), by the use of PARP inhibitors, results in the persistence of DNA damage and, therefore, in cell cycle arrest. As a result, PARP inhibitors (olaparib, rucaparib, niraparib, veliparib, and talazoparib) are recently showed in phase III randomized clinical trials to improve outcome of breast (OlympiAD and Embraca trials) and ovarian (SOLO trials and NOVA and ARIEL trials) cancer patients. These findings and the promising similar results in BRCA-associated pancreatic and prostate cancers are revolutionizing the approach to BRCA genetic counseling and testing.

We invite researchers to submit research articles, review articles, and clinical studies on the topic highlighted to this special issue, addressing various issues and insights into the role of BRCA mutations in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Molecular mechanisms at the basis of development and progression of BRCA-associated tumors
• Personalized surveillance programs and prophylactic surgery in BRCA carriers
• Chemopreventive approaches in BRCA carriers
• BRCA genetic counseling and testing
• Treatment strategies in BRCA-associated tumors