Should we test kids for the ‘Jolie gene’? BRCA2 also raises the risk of childhood non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, study finds
- Researchers found that nearly 2% of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma had inherited mutations of the BRCA2 gene
- The gene puts people at risk of breast and ovarian cancer as well as several other adult-onset cancers
- Of the eight cases of the mutation, six had family histories of cancer associated with BRCA2
Children with a genetic mutation for breast and ovarian cancer have an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a new study finds.
Researchers say that nearly two percent of kids with the BRCA2 gene may be diagnosed with the white blood cell cancer in childhood or adolescence.
The gene, similar to the one actress Angelina Jolie inherited from her mother, was recently linked to a greater risk of medulloblastoma, a childhood cancerous brain tumor.
Now that the team, from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, has found a link to a second pediatric cancer, it says the results show that children with a family history of BRCA-associated cancers may need to screened early on in life.
A new study from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital has found that about two percent of childhood survivors of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma had inherited mutation of the BRCA2 gene (file image)
Several studies have shown that survivors of childhood cancer have a higher risk of developing secondary cancers later in life than the general population.
In addition, those with inherited BRCA gene mutations are not only at greater risk of just breast and ovarian cancer but several adult-onset cancers.
For the study, published in JAMA Oncology, the team tested approximately 1,400 survivors of pediatric or adolescent lymphoma.
About 800 were survivors of Hodgkin’s lymphoma and nearly 600 were survivors of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Hogkin’s lymphoma involves the presence of an abnormal cell called a Reed-Sternberg cell, which is not involved in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Additionally, Hodgkin’s generally starts in the upper body while non-Hodgkin’s can being in lymph nodes throughout the body.
Results of genetic testing showed that five survivors of Hodgkin’s and eight of non-Hodgkin’s had the BRCA2 gene mutation.
Compared to those without cancer, the link of the BRCA2 mutation was statistically significantly among the survivors of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the authors say.
What’s more, of the eight survivors, six had family histories of cancer associated with the BRCA2 mutation.
‘The more we know about the biology that drives a particular cancer, the more a patient’s care can be precisely tailored,’ said co-senior author Dr Leslie Robison, chair of the St Jude Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control.
‘This includes cancer prevention and cancer screening, where an understanding of inherited mutations can help us put in place strategies to care for that patient and family long-term.’
All the participants who had BRCA2 mutations and were survivors of childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma were men.
The team says further research is needed to understand why this it the case.
‘Understanding inherited risk helps childhood cancer survivors and it enables conversations among relatives who can then make decisions about their own health management strategies,’ said co-senior author Dr Kim Nichols, director of the St Jude Cancer Predisposition Division.