Abstract

Approximately 5%-10% of breast cancer is hereditary and BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are responsible for most of the cases. In the State of Qatar, the cancer genetics program was established at National Center of Cancer Care and Research on 2013 which is considered the first of its kind in the region dedicated exclusively to providing genetic counseling, risk assessment and management of high risk patients and their families. In this study, we aim to describe our experience with the hereditary cancer and high risk clinic from the period of March 2013 until December 2016.Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 697 patients were evaluated at the high risk clinic between March 2013 to December 2016. High risk patients were either placed under surveillance or offered genetic testing for the BRCA genes. Results: A total of 697 patients were evaluated at the high risk clinic in which 347 patients were considered eligible for high risk screening. 167 patients pursued genetic testing and 64 patients (38%) had BRCA mutations with BRCA1 being the most common, while 72 patients (43%) were BRCA negative. A total of 31 patients (19%) had variants of unknown significance in the BRCA genes. Most of the BRCA positive patients 63% were affected with either breast and/or ovarian cancers and were within younger age group, while 38% were unaffected. 55% of those BRCA positive affected patients had triple negative breast cancer. The prevalence of BRCA mutations among Qatari breast cancer patients reaches up to 10% while it reaches approximately 3.5% among nonQatari breast cancer patients.

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