Hereditary ovarian cancer.

ABSTRACT

Ovarian cancer has been described in association with three autosomal dominant syndromes familial site-specific ovarian cancer, familial breast and ovarian cancer, and the hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer syndrome. It appears that most breast-ovarian and site-specific ovarian cancer families are explained by mutations in the BRCA1 tumor suppressor gene. Other genes associated with inherited susceptibility to ovarian cancer include BRCA2, p53, and the DNA mismatch repair genes.