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Lack of heritability in ovarian germ cell malignancies
L P Shulman1, D Muram, N Marina
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tennessee, Memphis, CA 21765.
Objective:
Our purpose was to determine whether relatives of patients with ovarian germ cell malignancies not associated with sex chromosome abnormalities are at increased risk for similar tumors.
Study Design:
We reviewed pedigrees of 78 presumptive 46,XX patients (ages ranging from newborn to 20 years) with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors, excluding cases of dysgerminoma and gonadoblastoma. A three-generation family history of each proband was reviewed specifically to identify cancer in any family member.
Results:
Seventy-eight mothers, 87 sisters, 135 aunts, and 156 grandmothers were surveyed. None had a malignant ovarian germ cell neoplasm or other malignant ovarian neoplasm.
Conclusion:
First- and second-degree relatives of probands with ovarian germ cell malignancies do not have an increased risk for similar tumors. These findings were not predicted because of the well-recognized association of hereditary tumors and early age of onset.