Racial and Ethnic Differences in BRCA1/2 and Multigene Panel Testing Among Young Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

Genetic testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) is recommended for breast cancer patients diagnosed at age ≤ 50 years. Our objective was to examine racial/ethnic differences in genetic testing frequency and results among diverse breast cancer patients. A retrospective cohort study among women diagnosed with breast cancer at age ≤ 50 years from January 2007 to December 2017 at Columbia University in New York, NY. Among 1503 diverse young breast cancer patients, nearly half (46.2%) completed HBOC genetic testing. Genetic testing completion was associated with younger age, family history of breast cancer, and earlier stage, but not race/ethnicity or health insurance status. Blacks had the highest frequency of pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants (18.6%), and Hispanics and Asians had the most variants of uncertain significance (VUS), 19.0% and 21.9%, respectively. The percentage of women undergoing genetic testing increased over time from 15.3% in 2007 to a peak of 72.8% in 2015. Over the same time period, there was a significant increase in P/LP and VUS results. Due to uncertainty about the clinical implications of P/LP variants in moderate penetrance genes and VUSs, our findings underscore the need for targeted genetic counseling education, particularly among young minority breast cancer patients.