Prevalence and spectrum of pathogenic variants among patients with multiple primary cancers evaluated by clinical characteristics

Background Multiple primary cancers (MPCs) are a hallmark of cancer predisposition syndromes. Here the frequency of germline pathogenic variants (PVs) among patients with MPCs is reported. Methods Patients with MPCs who underwent multigene panel testing from March 2012 to December 2016 were studied. Eligible patients had an analysis of 21 genes: ATM, BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRIP1, CDH1, CHEK2, EPCAM, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, MUTYH, NBN, NF1, PALB2, PMS2, PTEN, RAD51C, RAD51D, STK11, and TP53. The frequencies of PVs by sex, number of cancers, and age at diagnosis were compared with 2-sided chi(2) tests or Fisher exact tests when the number was <10. Results Among the 9714 patients analyzed, most were female (91.1%) and White (71.0%); the median age at testing was 63 years, and the median ages at first and second cancer diagnoses were 49 and 58 years, respectively. Overall, 1320 (13.6%) had PVs. The prevalence of PVs increased with the number of primary cancers (PCs): 13.1% with 2 PCs, 15.9% with 3 PCs, and 18.0% with >= 4 PCs (P = .00056). Differences in the prevalence of PVs by age at diagnosis were significant: 14.7% with 2 PCs at an age < 50 years, 15.8% with 1 PC at an age < 50 years, and 12.0% with all PCs at an age >= 50 years (P = 2.07E-05). PVs by the age at second cancer diagnosis were also significant: 14.7% at an age < 50 years, 13.9% at an age of 50 to 69 years, and 11.4% at an age >= 70 years (P for trend = .005). Conclusions Among patients with MPCs, there is a high frequency of germline PVs, with a higher frequency found among patients with a higher number of PCs. These findings suggest that genetic testing should be considered even among patients who are older at the diagnosis of an additional primary malignancy.