Abstract
Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 tumour suppressor genes are associated with prostate cancer risk; however, optimal screening protocols for individuals with these mutations have been a subject of debate. Several prospective studies of prostate cancer incidence and screening among BRCA1/2 mutation carriers have indicated at least a twofold to fourfold increase in prostate cancer risk among carriers of BRCA2 mutations compared with the general population. Moreover, BRCA2 mutations are associated with more aggressive, high-grade disease characteristics at diagnosis, more aggressive clinical behaviour and greater prostate cancer-specific mortality. The risk for BRCA1 mutations seems to be attenuated compared with BRCA2. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement or prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) alone is an imperfect indicator of clinically significant prostate cancer; therefore, BRCA1/2 mutation carriers might benefit from refined risk stratification strategies. However, the long-term impact of prostate cancer screening is unknown, and the optimal management of BRCA1/2 carriers with prostate cancer has not been defined. Whether timely localized therapy can improve overall survival in the screened population is uncertain. Long-term results of prospective studies are awaited to confirm the optimal screening strategies and benefits of prostate cancer screening among BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, and whether these approaches ultimately have a positive impact on survival and quality of life in these patients.
Key points
-
Carriers of germline BRCA2 mutations have a twofold to fourfold higher risk of prostate cancer than the general population; for BRCA1 mutation carriers, this association is attenuated.
-
BRCA2 mutation carriers are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer at a younger age than non-carriers.
-
For BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, the use of advanced prebiopsy risk stratification tools might be beneficial, instead of guideline-recommended prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing.
-
PSA measurement or prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) alone is inadequate for screening in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, owing to the inherent limitations of these tests.
-
Screened BRCA1/2 mutation carriers might have an increased risk of prostate cancer-specific death, but these patients often develop other lethal malignancies that could limit the benefits of prostate cancer screening.
-
Benefits and risks of prostate cancer screening among BRCA1/2 mutation carriers must be determined and optimal early treatment strategies identified to improve quality of life and survival.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 per month
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$189.00 per year
only $15.75 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Get just this article for as long as you need it
$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Loeb, S. & Giri, V. N. Clinical implications of germline testing in newly diagnosed prostate cancer. Eur. Urol. Oncol. 4, 1–9 (2021).
Oh, M. et al. The association of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations with prostate cancer risk, frequency, and mortality: a meta-analysis. Prostate 79, 880–895 (2019).
Pritchard, C. C. et al. Inherited DNA-repair gene mutations in men with metastatic prostate cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 375, 443–453 (2016).
Shore, N. et al. Systematic literature review of the epidemiology of advanced prostate cancer and associated homologous recombination repair gene alterations. J. Urol. 205, 977–986 (2021).
Gudmundsdottir, K. & Ashworth, A. The roles of BRCA1 and BRCA2 and associated proteins in the maintenance of genomic stability. Oncogene 25, 5864–5874 (2006).
Russo, J. & Giri, V. N. Germline testing and genetic counselling in prostate cancer. Nat. Rev. Urol. 19, 331–343 (2022).
Abul-Husn, N. S. et al. Exome sequencing reveals a high prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 founder variants in a diverse population-based biobank. Genome Med. 12, 2 (2019).
Mateo, J. et al. DNA-repair defects and olaparib in metastatic prostate cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 373, 1697–1708 (2015).
Giri, V. N. et al. Inherited mutations in men undergoing multigene panel testing for prostate cancer: emerging implications for personalized prostate cancer genetic evaluation. JCO Precis. Oncol. 16, 00039 (2017).
Nicolosi, P. et al. Prevalence of germline variants in prostate cancer and implications for current genetic testing guidelines. JAMA Oncol. 5, 523–528 (2019).
Isaacsson Velho, P. et al. Intraductal/ductal histology and lymphovascular invasion are associated with germline DNA-repair gene mutations in prostate cancer. Prostate 78, 401–407 (2018).
Schweizer, M. T., Cheng, H. H., Nelson, P. S. & Montgomery, R. B. Two steps forward and one step back for precision in prostate cancer treatment. J. Clin. Oncol. 38, 3740–3742 (2020).
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) Prostate Cancer Early Detection (version 1.2022). NCCN https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/prostate_detection.pdf (2022).
Mottet, N. et al. EAU-EANM-ESTRO-ESUR-SIOG Guidelines on Prostate Cancer-2020 update. Part 1: screening, diagnosis, and local treatment with curative intent. Eur. Urol. 79, 243–262 (2021).
Loeb, S. et al. Systematic review of complications of prostate biopsy. Eur. Urol. 64, 876–892 (2013).
Fenton, J. J. et al. Prostate-specific antigen-based screening for prostate cancer: evidence report and systematic review for the US preventive services task force. JAMA 319, 1914–1931 (2018).
Merseburger, A. S. et al. Genomic testing in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a pragmatic guide for clinicians. Eur. Urol. 79, 519–529 (2021).
Segal, N. et al. Imaging-based prostate cancer screening among BRCA mutation carriers-results from the first round of screening. Ann. Oncol. 31, 1545–1552 (2020).
Nyberg, T. et al. Prostate cancer risks for male BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: a prospective cohort study. Eur. Urol. 77, 24–35 (2020).
Page, E. C. et al. Interim results from the IMPACT study: evidence for prostate-specific antigen screening in BRCA2 mutation carriers. Eur. Urol. 76, 831–842 (2019).
Nyberg, T., Tischkowitz, M. & Antoniou, A. C. BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants and prostate cancer risk: systematic review and meta-analysis. Br. J. Cancer 126, 1067–1081 (2021).
Welch, H. G. & Albertsen, P. C. Reconsidering prostate cancer mortality - the future of PSA screening. N. Engl. J. Med. 382, 1557–1563 (2020).
Basourakos, S. P. et al. Harm-to-benefit of three decades of prostate cancer screening in Black men. NEJM Evid. 1, EVIDoa2200031 (2022).
Schröder, F. H. et al. Screening and prostate cancer mortality: results of the European randomised study of screening for prostate cancer (ERSPC) at 13 years of follow-up. Lancet 384, 2027–2035 (2014).
Hugosson, J. et al. A 16-yr follow-up of the European randomized study of screening for prostate cancer. Eur. Urol. 76, 43–51 (2019).
Schroder, F. H. et al. Screening for prostate cancer decreases the risk of developing metastatic disease: findings from the European randomized study of screening for prostate cancer (ERSPC). Eur. Urol. 62, 745–752 (2012).
Pinsky, P. F. et al. Extended follow-up for prostate cancer incidence and mortality among participants in the prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian randomized cancer screening trial. BJU Int. 123, 854–860 (2019).
Pinsky, P. F. et al. Extended mortality results for prostate cancer screening in the PLCO trial with median follow-up of 15 years. Cancer 123, 592–599 (2017).
Andriole, G. L. et al. Mortality results from a randomized prostate-cancer screening trial. N. Engl. J. Med. 360, 1310–1319 (2009).
Martin, R. M. et al. Effect of a low-intensity PSA-based screening intervention on prostate cancer mortality: the CAP randomized clinical trial. JAMA 319, 883–895 (2018).
Howlader N, et al. (eds). SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975–2017. National Cancer Institute https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2017/ (2020).
Kelly, S. P., Anderson, W. F., Rosenberg, P. S. & Cook, M. B. Past, current, and future incidence rates and burden of metastatic prostate cancer in the United States. Eur. Urol. Focus. 4, 121–127 (2018).
Leapman, M. S. et al. Changes in prostate-specific antigen testing relative to the revised US preventive services task force recommendation on prostate cancer screening. JAMA Oncol. 8, 41–47 (2022).
Van Poppel, H. et al. Prostate-specific antigen testing as part of a risk-adapted early detection strategy for prostate cancer: European Association of Urology position and recommendations for 2021. Eur. Urol. 80, 703–711 (2021).
Neal, D. E. et al. Ten-year mortality, disease progression, and treatment-related side effects in men with localised prostate cancer from the protect randomised controlled trial according to treatment received. Eur. Urol. 77, 320–330 (2020).
Hamdy, F. C. et al. 10-Year outcomes after monitoring, surgery, or radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 375, 1415–1424 (2016).
Wilt, T. J. et al. Follow-up of prostatectomy versus observation for early prostate cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 377, 132–142 (2017).
Albertsen, P. C. et al. Impact of comorbidity on survival among men with localized prostate cancer. J. Clin. Oncol. 29, 1335–1341 (2011).
Moschini, M. et al. External beam radiotherapy increases the risk of bladder cancer when compared with radical prostatectomy in patients affected by prostate cancer: a population-based analysis. Eur. Urol. 75, 319–328 (2019).
Awad, M. A. et al. Prostate cancer radiation and urethral strictures: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 21, 168–174 (2018).
Welch, H. G. & Albertsen, P. C. Prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment after the introduction of prostate-specific antigen screening: 1986–2005. J. Natl Cancer Inst. 101, 1325–1329 (2009).
Kawada, T. et al. Diagnostic performance of prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography-targeted biopsy for detection of clinically significant prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur. Urol. Oncol. 5, 390–400 (2022).
Rajwa, P. et al. Intensification of systemic therapy in addition to definitive local treatment in nonmetastatic unfavourable prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur. Urol. 82, 82–96 (2022).
Sathianathen, N. J. et al. Indirect comparisons of efficacy between combination approaches in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Eur. Urol. 77, 365–372 (2020).
Ost, P. et al. Surveillance or metastasis-directed therapy for oligometastatic prostate cancer recurrence: a prospective, randomized, multicenter phase II trial. J. Clin. Oncol. 36, 446–453 (2018).
Kasivisvanathan, V. et al. MRI-targeted or standard biopsy for prostate-cancer diagnosis. N. Engl. J. Med. 378, 1767–1777 (2018).
Eklund, M. et al. MRI-targeted or standard biopsy in prostate cancer screening. N. Engl. J. Med. 385, 908–920 (2021).
Loeb, S. et al. Knowledge and practice regarding prostate cancer germline testing among urologists: gaps to address for optimal implementation. Cancer Treat. Res. Commun. 25, 100212 (2020).
Loeb, S. et al. Barriers and facilitators of germline genetic evaluation for prostate cancer. Prostate 81, 754–764 (2021).
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic (version 1.2023). NCCN https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/genetics_bop.pdf (2022).
Hadar, T. et al. Presymptomatic awareness of germline pathogenic BRCA variants and associated outcomes in women with breast cancer. JAMA Oncol. 6, 1460–1463 (2020).
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) Prostate Cancer (version 1.2023). NCCN https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/prostate.pdf (2022).
Giri, V. N. et al. Implementation of germline testing for prostate cancer: Philadelphia Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference 2019. J. Clin. Oncol. 38, 2798–2811 (2020).
Castro, E. et al. Germline BRCA mutations are associated with higher risk of nodal involvement, distant metastasis, and poor survival outcomes in prostate cancer. J. Clin. Oncol. 31, 1748–1757 (2013).
Dall’Era, M. A. et al. Germline and somatic DNA repair gene alterations in prostate cancer. Cancer 126, 2980–2985 (2020).
Na, R. et al. Germline mutations in ATM and BRCA1/2 distinguish risk for lethal and indolent prostate cancer and are associated with early age at death. Eur. Urol. 71, 740–747 (2017).
Abeshouse, A. et al. The molecular taxonomy of primary prostate cancer. Cell 163, 1011–1025 (2015).
Berchuck, J. E. et al. Impact of pathogenic germline DNA damage repair alterations on response to intense neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy in high-risk localized prostate cancer. Eur. Urol. 80, 295–303 (2021).
Momozawa, Y. et al. Expansion of cancer risk profile for BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants. JAMA Oncol. 8, 871–878 (2022).
Li, S. et al. Cancer risks associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants. J. Clin. Oncol. 40, 1529–1541 (2022).
Laitman, Y. et al. Cancer risks in Jewish male BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 150, 631–635 (2015).
Mersch, J. et al. Cancers associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations other than breast and ovarian. Cancer 121, 269–275 (2015).
Mano, R. et al. Malignant abnormalities in male BRCA mutation carriers: results from a prospectively screened cohort. JAMA Oncol. 4, 872–874 (2018).
Bancroft, E. K. et al. Targeted prostate cancer screening in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: results from the initial screening round of the IMPACT study. Eur. Urol. 66, 489–499 (2014).
Gleason, D. F. & Mellinger, G. T. Prediction of prognosis for prostatic adenocarcinoma by combined histological grading and clinical staging. J. Urol. 197, S134–S139 (2017).
Epstein, J. I. et al. The 2014 International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) consensus conference on Gleason grading of prostatic carcinoma: definition of grading patterns and proposal for a new grading system. Am. J. Surgical Pathol. 40, 244–252 (2016).
D’Amico, A. V. et al. Pretreatment nomogram for prostate-specific antigen recurrence after radical prostatectomy or external-beam radiation therapy for clinically localized prostate cancer. J. Clin. Oncol. 17, 168–168 (1999).
Cooperberg, M. R., Hilton, J. F. & Carroll, P. R. The CAPRA-S score. Cancer 117, 5039–5046 (2011).
Bokhorst, L. P. et al. Positive predictive value of prostate biopsy indicated by prostate-specific-antigen-based prostate cancer screening: trends over time in a European randomized trial. BJU Int. 110, 1654–1660 (2012).
Pinsky, P. F., Parnes, H. L. & Andriole, G. Mortality and complications after prostate biopsy in the prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian cancer screening (PLCO) trial. BJU Int. 113, 254–259 (2014).
Eldred-Evans, D. et al. Population-based prostate cancer screening with magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasonography: the IP1-PROSTAGRAM study. JAMA Oncol. 7, 395–402 (2021).
Mazzone, E. et al. Positive predictive value of prostate imaging reporting and data system version 2 for the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur. Urol. Oncol. 4, 697–713 (2021).
Park, K. J. et al. Risk stratification of prostate cancer according to PI-RADS(R) version 2 categories: meta-analysis for prospective studies. J. Urol. 204, 1141–1149 (2020).
Van Calster, B. et al. Reporting and interpreting decision curve analysis: a guide for investigators. Eur. Urol. 74, 796–804 (2018).
Nordström, T. et al. Prostate cancer screening using a combination of risk-prediction, MRI, and targeted prostate biopsies (STHLM3-MRI): a prospective, population-based, randomised, open-label, non-inferiority trial. Lancet Oncol. 22, 1240–1249 (2021).
Boilève, A., Lavaud, P. & Caron, O. Germline BRCA1 mutation and prostate cancer: be careful on causality. Eur. Urol. Oncol. 4, 674–675 (2021).
Messina, C. et al. BRCA mutations in prostate cancer: prognostic and predictive implications. J. Oncol. 2020, 4986365 (2020).
Taylor, R. A. et al. The influence of BRCA2 mutation on localized prostate cancer. Nat. Rev. Urol. 16, 281–290 (2019).
Carter, H. B. et al. Germline mutations in ATM and BRCA1/2 are associated with grade reclassification in men on active surveillance for prostate cancer. Eur. Urol. 75, 743–749 (2019).
Dall’era, M. et al. Are prostate cancer patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations safe for active surveillance? J. Clin. Oncol. 37 (Suppl. 7), 19 (2019).
Rajwa, P. et al. Reliability of serial prostate magnetic resonance imaging to detect prostate cancer progression during active surveillance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur. Urol. 80, 549–563 (2021).
Cooperberg, M. R. et al. Tailoring intensity of active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer based on individualized prediction of risk stability. JAMA Oncol. 6, e203187 (2020).
Rajwa, P. et al. Association of negative followup biopsy and reclassification during active surveillance of prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J. Urol. 205, 1559–1568 (2021).
Halstuch, D. et al. Short-term outcomes of active surveillance for low risk prostate cancer among men with germline DNA repair gene mutations. J. Urol. 204, 707–713 (2020).
Halstuch, D., Ber, Y. & Margel, D. Screening, active surveillance, and treatment of localized prostate cancer among carriers of germline BRCA mutations. Eur. Urol. Focus. 6, 212–214 (2020).
Mai, P. L. et al. Potential excess mortality in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers beyond breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancers and melanoma. PLoS ONE 4, e4812 (2009).
Gandaglia, G., Briganti, A. & Montorsi, F. Reimagining prostate cancer screening: the IMPACT of germline mutations. Lancet Oncol. 22, 1491–1492 (2021).
Castro, E. et al. Effect of BRCA mutations on metastatic relapse and cause-specific survival after radical treatment for localised prostate cancer. Eur. Urol. 68, 186–193 (2015).
Clark, R., McAlpine, K. & Fleshner, N. A clinical trial of prophylactic prostatectomy for BRCA2 mutation carriers: is now the time? Eur. Urol. Focus. 7, 506–507 (2021).
Hussain, M. et al. Survival with olaparib in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 383, 2345–2357 (2020).
Antonarakis, E. S., Gomella, L. G. & Petrylak, D. P. When and how to use PARP inhibitors in prostate cancer: a systematic review of the literature with an update on on-going trials. Eur. Urol. Oncol. 3, 594–611 (2020).
De Bono, J. et al. Olaparib for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 382, 2091–2102 (2020).
Abida, W. et al. Rucaparib in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer harboring a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene alteration. J. Clin. Oncol. 38, 3763–3772 (2020).
Ryan, C. J. et al. TRITON3: an international, randomized, open-label, phase III study of the PARP inhibitor rucaparib vs. physician’s choice of therapy for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) associated with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). J. Clin. Oncol. 36 (Suppl. 6), TPS389 (2018).
Smith, M. R. et al. Niraparib in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and DNA repair gene defects (GALAHAD): a multicentre, open-label, phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol. 23, 362–373 (2022).
Clarke, N. W. et al. Abiraterone and olaparib for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. NEJM Evid. 1, EVIDoa2200043 (2022).
Clovis Oncology. TRITON3 phase 3 trial of Rubraca® (rucaparib) achieves primary endpoint in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with BRCA or ATM mutations. Clovis Oncology https://ir.clovisoncology.com/investors-and-news/news-releases/press-release-details/2022/TRITON3-Phase-3-Trial-of-Rubraca-rucaparib-Achieves-Primary-Endpoint-in-Men-with-Metastatic-Castration-Resistant-Prostate-Cancer-with-BRCA-or-ATM-Mutations/default.aspx (2022).
Teyssonneau, D. et al. Prostate cancer and PARP inhibitors: progress and challenges. J. Hematol. Oncol. 14, 51 (2021).
Zumsteg, Z. et al. 689TiP NRG Oncology’s GU007 (NADIR): a randomized phase II trial of niraparib with standard combination androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and radiotherapy (RT) in high-risk prostate cancer (PC) (with initial phase I). Ann. Oncol. 31, S546 (2020).
Rathkopf, D. E. et al. AMPLITUDE: a study of niraparib in combination with abiraterone acetate plus prednisone (AAP) versus AAP for the treatment of patients with deleterious germline or somatic homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene-altered metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC). J. Clin. Oncol. 39 (Suppl. 6), TPS176 (2021).
Antonarakis, E. S. et al. Interim results from a phase 2 study of olaparib (without ADT) in men with biochemically-recurrent prostate cancer after prostatectomy, with integrated biomarker analysis. J. Clin. Oncol. 37, 5045–5045 (2019).
Acknowledgements
P.R. is supported by the EUSP Scholarship of the European Association of Urology (EAU).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
P.R., F.Q. and B.P. researched data for the article. P.R., F.Q., B.P., G.G., G.P., D.T., A.S.M. and S.F.S. contributed substantially to discussion of the content. P.R., F.Q., B.P., G.G., G.P., M.S.L., A.P. and S.F.S. wrote the article. All authors reviewed and/or edited the manuscript before submission.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Peer review
Peer review information
Nature Reviews Urology thanks Maria Carlo, Gail Risbridger, Mark Frydenberg and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Rajwa, P., Quhal, F., Pradere, B. et al. Prostate cancer risk, screening and management in patients with germline BRCA1/2 mutations. Nat Rev Urol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-022-00680-4
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-022-00680-4