Publications by authors named "Marjanka Schmidt"

Background: The 313-variant polygenic risk score (PRS) provides a promising tool for clinical breast cancer risk prediction. However, evaluation of the PRS across different European populations which could influence risk estimation has not been performed.

Methods: We explored the distribution of PRS across European populations using genotype data from 94,072 females without breast cancer diagnosis, of European-ancestry from 21 countries participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) and 223,316 females without breast cancer diagnosis from the UK Biobank.

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Purpose: Breast cancer (BC) treatment can induce adverse events, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Defective DNA repair, as in carriers of BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants (BRCA1/2pv), may contribute to CVD risk. We aimed to study if female BRCA1/2pv carriers are more sensitive to develop CVD after BC treatment than BC patients without a known BRCA1/2pv.

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  • The c.1100delC genetic variant is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer in women, with research focusing on its effects within a Dutch study cohort, Hebon, which initially centered on known breast cancer-related genetic variants.
  • The study included 1,802 female participants, revealing that carriers of c.1100delC were diagnosed with breast cancer at younger ages and had specific cancer characteristics compared to non-carriers.
  • Future research aims to enhance understanding of breast cancer risk in women who test negative but are from families with c.1100delC, utilizing ongoing data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry.
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  • Clinical genetic testing helps find cancer risks by identifying gene changes, but some of these changes are confusing because we don't know what they mean (called VUS).
  • Researchers studied a huge number of breast cancer patients and healthy people to understand these confusing gene changes better.
  • They found that their method of analyzing data closely matches what other experts say about which gene changes are harmless or harmful, giving more information about 785 unclear changes.
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Background: Breast cancer is comprised of distinct molecular subtypes. Studies have reported differences in risk factor associations with breast cancer subtypes, especially by tumor estrogen receptor (ER) status, but their consistency across racial and ethnic populations has not been comprehensively evaluated.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative, scoping literature review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis, extension for Scoping Reviews to investigate consistencies in associations between 18 breast cancer risk factors (reproductive, anthropometric, lifestyle, and medical history) and risk of ER-defined subtypes in women who self-identify as Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latina, or White.

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  • * Analysis of data from over 55,000 breast cancer patients showed that co-observation of variants in BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2 with other breast cancer genes occurred less frequently than expected, suggesting a potential correlation with pathogenicity.
  • * The findings indicate that identifying a variant of uncertain significance alongside a known pathogenic variant supports evidence against the variant's pathogenicity, which could improve variant classification in clinical settings and for other genetic conditions.
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Background: Breast cancer consists of distinct molecular subtypes. Studies have reported differences in risk factor associations with breast cancer subtypes, especially by tumor estrogen receptor (ER) status, but their consistency across racial and ethnic populations has not been comprehensively evaluated.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative, scoping literature review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis, extension for Scoping Reviews to investigate consistencies in associations between 18 breast cancer risk factors (reproductive, anthropometric, lifestyle, and medical history) and risk of ER-defined subtypes in women who self-identify as Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latina, or White.

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  • Scientists looked at the timing of when girls start their periods (called menarche) and how it can affect their health later in life.
  • They studied about 800,000 women and found over a thousand genetic signals that influence when menstruation starts.
  • Some women have a much higher chance of starting their periods too early or too late based on their genetic makeup, suggesting that genes play a big role in this process!
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Cancer Core Europe brings together the expertise, resources, and interests of seven leading cancer institutes committed to leveraging collective innovation and collaboration in precision oncology. Through targeted efforts addressing key medical challenges in cancer and partnerships with multiple stakeholders, the consortium seeks to advance cancer research and enhance equitable patient care.

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  • The study checked how well the BOADICEA model predicts breast cancer risk for people who carry certain gene changes (called pathogenic variants).
  • They looked at information from a group of over 1,600 participants and found that the model worked really well, especially when considering family history and other risk factors.
  • The results can help doctors and patients make better choices about cancer management, and the model can be accessed for free on the CanRisk website.
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Purpose: Female CHEK2 c.1100delC heterozygotes are eligible for additional breast surveillance because of an increased breast cancer risk. Increased risks for other cancers have been reported.

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  • Most tools for identifying cancer driver genes were designed for whole-exome sequencing, but targeted sequencing is cheaper and provides more detailed data for specific genes.
  • This study tested seven popular driver gene identification tools using targeted sequencing data and found that how these tools account for mutation rates significantly influences their accuracy.
  • The researchers recommend using OncodriveFML, OncodriveCLUSTL, 20/20+, dNdSCv, and ActiveDriver for targeted sequencing, while advising against MutSigCV and DriverML in this context.
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Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the long-term outcome of asymptomatic BRCA1/2 germline pathogenic variant (GPV) carriers with high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) in their risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) specimen.

Methods: In a previously described cohort of asymptomatic BRCA1/2 GPV carriers derived from the Hereditary Breast and Ovarian cancer in the Netherlands (HEBON) study, women with HGSC at RRSO were identified. Main outcome was ten-year disease-free survival (DFS).

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The 313-variant polygenic risk score (PRS) provides a promising tool for breast cancer risk prediction. However, evaluation of the PRS across different European populations which could influence risk estimation has not been performed. Here, we explored the distribution of PRS across European populations using genotype data from 94,072 females without breast cancer, of European-ancestry from 21 countries participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) and 225,105 female participants from the UK Biobank.

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  • The study investigates the prognostic significance of BRCA1-related biomarkers in young, node-negative, chemotherapy-naïve triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients, focusing on how these biomarkers influence overall survival outcomes.
  • It included 485 Dutch women diagnosed with TNBC under age 40, assessing their BRCA1 status and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) to determine outcomes over a 15-year period.
  • Results showed that patients with pathogenic germline BRCA1 mutations had worse survival rates compared to those without alterations, but higher levels of sTILs significantly improved overall survival, particularly in patients with tumor BRCA1 promoter methylation.
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To determine the changes in surveillance category by adding a polygenic risk score based on 311 breast cancer (BC)-associated variants (PRS), questionnaire-based risk factors and breast density on personalized BC risk in unaffected women from Dutch CHEK2 c.1100delC families. In total, 117 unaffected women (58 heterozygotes and 59 non-carriers) from CHEK2 families were included.

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  • - This study examined the effectiveness of the PREDICT breast cancer prognostic model for young women under 40 with node-negative breast cancer who didn’t receive systemic treatment.
  • - Researchers evaluated data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry and found that PREDICT significantly underestimated 10-year mortality rates and had moderate discrimination overall, especially poor for women with ER-negative tumors.
  • - The findings suggest that PREDICT is not reliable for predicting outcomes in this specific group, emphasizing the need for updates to the model before it can be used routinely for young patients.
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Objective: To examine the association between size and margin status of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and risk of developing ipsilateral invasive breast cancer and ipsilateral DCIS after treatment, and stage and subtype of ipsilateral invasive breast cancer.

Design: Multinational, pooled cohort study.

Setting: Four large international cohorts.

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Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is widely accepted as a precursor of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is considered a risk factor for invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), and it is unclear whether LCIS is also a precursor. Therefore, it would be expected that similar risk factors predispose to both DCIS and IDC, but not necessarily LCIS and ILC.

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Linkage and candidate gene studies have identified several breast cancer susceptibility genes, but the overall contribution of coding variation to breast cancer is unclear. To evaluate the role of rare coding variants more comprehensively, we performed a meta-analysis across three large whole-exome sequencing datasets, containing 26,368 female cases and 217,673 female controls. Burden tests were performed for protein-truncating and rare missense variants in 15,616 and 18,601 genes, respectively.

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  • A genome-wide study explored gene-environment interactions (G×E) to identify variants that could impact breast cancer risk, analyzing data from around 72,285 breast cancer cases and 80,354 controls.
  • Researchers found two specific SNP-risk factor pairs that showed a significant association with breast cancer risk, including variations related to adult height and age at menarche.
  • Overall, the study concluded that G×E interactions contribute minimally to the heritability of breast cancer and don't significantly enhance risk prediction for the disease.
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Pubertal timing varies considerably and has been associated with a range of health outcomes in later life. To elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms, we performed multi-ancestry genetic analyses in ~800,000 women, identifying 1,080 independent signals associated with age at menarche. Collectively these loci explained 11% of the trait variance in an independent sample, with women at the top and bottom 1% of polygenic risk exhibiting a ~11 and ~14-fold higher risk of delayed and precocious pubertal development, respectively.

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