Diagnosing hereditary cancer predisposition in men with prostate cancer

We describe the pathogenic variant spectrum and identify predictors of positive results among men referred for clinical genetic testing for prostate cancer.

One thousand eight hundred twelve men with prostate cancer underwent clinical multigene panel testing between April 2012 and September 2017. Stepwise logistic regression determined the most reliable predictors of positive results among clinical variables reported on test requisition forms.

A yield of 9.4-12.1% was observed among men with no prior genetic testing. In this group, the positive rate of BRCA1 and BRCA2 was 4.6%; the positive rate for the mismatch repair genes was 2.8%. Increasing Gleason score (odds ratio [OR] 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.97-1.45); personal history of breast or pancreatic cancer (OR 3.62; 95% CI 1.37-9.46); family history of breast, ovarian, or pancreatic cancer (OR 2.32 95% CI 1.48-3.65); and family history of Lynch syndrome-associated cancers (OR 1.97; 95% CI 1.23-3.15) were predictors of positive results.

These results support multigene panel testing as the primary genetic testing approach for hereditary prostate cancer and are supportive of recommendations for consideration of germline testing in men with prostate cancer. Expanding the criteria for genetic testing should be considered as many pathogenic variants are actionable for treatment of advanced prostate cancer.