Abstract
BACKGROUND: BRCA1 and BRCA2 are tumor suppressor genes essential for DNA repair. Mutations in these genes significantly increase breast (BC) and ovarian cancer (OC) risk, with BRCA1-positive facing a 70% BC and 40% OC lifetime risk. While guidelines for BRCA-positive are well established, recommendations for BC surveillance in BRCA-patients already diagnosed with OC remain limited. This meta-analysis evaluates BC risk post-OC in BRCA-mutated women. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library was performed. Single-arm outcomes were pooled using meta-analysis of proportions, and survival data were synthesized using hazard ratio (HR), both with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic. All analyses were conducted in R (version 4.3.2). RESULTS: A total of 2380 patients from 10 retrospective cohort studies were included. Among them, 181 (8%; 95% CI: 6%-11%) developed BC post-OC, with similar rates observed for BRCA1 and BRCA2-mutated (9%; 95% CI: 7%-12%). In overall survival analysis, BRCA-mutated patients who developed BC after OC had significantly improved outcomes compared to those with OC only (HR = 0.4657; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis underscores the need for tailored BC surveillance and evidence-based screening guidelines in BRCA-mutated OC survivors.