Effects of Social Determinants and Pharmacogenetic Medication Interactions on 90-Day Hospital Readmissions.

Context: The present study builds on our prior work that demonstrated an association between pharmacogenetic interactions and 90-day readmission. Objective: Evaluate aggregate contribution of social determinants, comorbidity, and gene-x-drug interactions to moderate 90-day hospital readmission. Study Design and Analysis: Non-concurrent cohort study; Multivariable logistic regression Setting: Hospital/integrated healthcare delivery system in northern Illinois Population Studied: 19,999 adults tracked from 2010 through 2020 who underwent testing with a 13-gene pharmacogenetic panel Outcome Measure: 90-day hospital readmission (primary outcome) Results: Univariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that strongest associations with 90 day hospital readmissions were the number of medications prescribed within 30 days of a first hospital admission that had Clinical Pharmacogenomics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) guidance (CPIC medications) (5+ CPIC medications, odds ratio (OR) = 7.66, 95% confidence interval 5.45-10.77) (p < 0.0001), major comorbidities (5+ comorbidities, OR 3.36, 2.61-4.32) (p < 0.0001), age (65 + years, OR = 2.35, 1.77-3.12) (p < 0.0001), unemployment (OR = 2.19, 1.88-2.64) (p < 0.0001), Black/African-American race (OR 2.12, 1.47-3.07) (p < 0.0001), median household income (OR = 1.63, 1.03-2.58) (p = 0.035), male gender (OR = 1.47, 1.21-1.80) (p = 0.0001), and one or more gene-x-drug interaction (defined as a prescribed CPIC medication for a patient with a corresponding actionable pharmacogenetic variant) (OR = 1.41, 1.18-1.70). Health insurance was not associated with risk of 90-day readmission. Race, income, employment status, and gene-x-drug interactions were robust in a multivariable logistic regression model. The odds of 90-day readmission for patients with one or more identified gene-x-drug interactions after adjustment for these covariates was attenuated by 10% (OR = 1.31, 1.08-1.59) (p = 0.006). Although the interaction between race and gene-x-drug interactions was not statistically significant, White patients were more likely to have a gene-x-drug interaction (35.2%) than Black/African-American patients (25.9%) who were not readmitted (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: These results highlight the major contribution of social determinants and medical complexity to risk for hospital readmission, and that these determinants may modify the effect of gene-x-drug interactions on rehospitalization risk.

Ovarian cancer pathology characteristics as predictors of variant pathogenicity in BRCA1 and BRCA2.

BACKGROUND: The distribution of ovarian tumour characteristics differs between germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers and non-carriers. In this study, we assessed the utility of ovarian tumour characteristics as predictors of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant pathogenicity, for application using the American College of Medical Genetics and the Association for Molecular Pathology (ACMG/AMP) variant classification system. METHODS: Data for 10,373 ovarian cancer cases, including carriers and non-carriers of BRCA1 or BRCA2 pathogenic variants, were collected from unpublished international cohorts and consortia and published studies. Likelihood ratios (LR) were calculated for the association of ovarian cancer histology and other characteristics, with BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant pathogenicity. Estimates were aligned to ACMG/AMP code strengths (supporting, moderate, strong). RESULTS: No histological subtype provided informative ACMG/AMP evidence in favour of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant pathogenicity. Evidence against variant pathogenicity was estimated for the mucinous and clear cell histologies (supporting) and borderline cases (moderate). Refined associations are provided according to tumour grade, invasion and age at diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: We provide detailed estimates for predicting BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant pathogenicity based on ovarian tumour characteristics. This evidence can be combined with other variant information under the ACMG/AMP classification system, to improve classification and carrier clinical management.

Calibration of polygenic risk scores is required prior to clinical implementation: results of three common cancers in UKB.

BACKGROUND: SNP-based polygenic risk scores have recently been adopted in the clinic for risk assessment of some common diseases. Their validity is supported by a consistent trend between their percentile rank and disease risk in populations. However, for clinical use at the individual level, the reliability of score values is necessary considering they are directly used to calculate remaining lifetime risk. OBJECTIVES: We assessed the reliability of polygenic score values to estimate prostate cancer (PCa), breast cancer (BCa) and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in three incident cohorts from the UK Biobank (n>500 000). METHODS: Cancer-specific Genetic Risk Score (GRS), a well-established population-standardised polygenic risk score, was calculated. RESULTS: A systematic bias was found between estimated risks (GRS values) and observed risks; ß (95% CI) was 0.67 (0.58-0.76), 0.74 (0.65-0.84) and 0.82 (0.75-0.89), respectively, for PCa, BCa and CRC, all significantly lower than 1.00 (perfect calibration), p<0.001. After applying a correction factor derived from a training data set, the ß for corrected GRS values in an independent testing data set were 1.09 (1.05-1.13), 1.00 (0.88-1.12) and 1.08 (0.96-1.21), respectively, for PCa, BCa and CRC. CONCLUSION: Assessing the calibration of polygenic risk scores is necessary and feasible to ensure their reliability prior to clinical implementation.

Cystic fibrosis F508del carriers and cancer risk: Results from the UK Biobank.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) carriers carrying one defective copy of a CFTR germline mutation are common in the general population. A recent study reported associations of CF carriers with risk for cancers of digestive organs and pancreatic cancer. In the current study, we assessed associations of CFTR F508del carriers with the risk for 54 types of cancers in the UK Biobank, a large population-based study. In Caucasians, compared to the carrier rate of 3.15% (12 357/392274) in noncancer subjects, the rate was significantly higher in cancer patients overall (2621/79619 = 3.29%), especially in patients with colorectal cancer (247/6667 = 3.70%), cancers of gallbladder and biliary tract (21/351 = 5.98%), thyroid cancer (30/665 = 4.51%) and unspecified non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (74/1805 = 4.10%), all P ≤ .05. In contrast, the carrier rate in patients with cancers of lung and bronchus was significantly lower (89/3463 = 2.57%), P = .05. The association of CFTR F508del carriers with these types of cancer remained significant after adjusting for respective cancer-specific risk factors. For pancreatic cancer, although a higher carrier rate (38/1004 = 3.78%) was found in patients with this cancer, the difference was not statistically significant (P = .26). This null association was unlikely due to lack of statistical power; the large sample size of our study had >80% power, at a significance level of .05, to detect an association of >1.5-fold increased risk. In conclusion, the identified associations of CFTR F508del carriers with multiple types of cancer may have potential biological and clinical implications if confirmed in independent study populations.

Flype: Software for enabling personalized medicine.

The advent of next generation DNA sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized clinical medicine by enabling wide-spread testing for genomic anomalies and polymorphisms. With that explosion in testing, however, come several informatics challenges including managing large amounts of data, interpreting the results and providing clinical decision support. We present Flype, a web-based bioinformatics platform built by a small group of bioinformaticians working in a community hospital setting, to address these challenges by allowing us to: (a) securely accept data from a variety of sources, (b) send orders to a variety of destinations, (c) perform secondary analysis and annotation of NGS data, (d) provide a central repository for all genomic variants, (e) assist with tertiary analysis and clinical interpretation, (f) send signed out data to our EHR as both PDF and discrete data elements, (g) allow population frequency analysis and (h) update variant annotation when literature knowledge evolves. We discuss the multiple use cases Flype supports such as (a) in-house NGS tests, (b) in-house pharmacogenomics (PGX) tests, (c) dramatic scale-up of genomic testing using an external lab, (d) consumer genomics using two external partners, and (e) a variety of reporting tools. The source code for Flype is available upon request to the authors.

Observed evidence for guideline-recommended genes in predicting prostate cancer risk from a large population-based cohort.

BACKGROUND: Germline testing for prostate cancer (PCa) is now recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. While multi-gene testing has been proposed, evidence for their association with PCa risk is not well established. METHODS: We tested associations of pathogenic/likely pathogenic mutations in 10 guideline-recommended genes (ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, PALB2, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, and HOXB13) with PCa risk in the UK Biobank, a population-based cohort. Mutations were annotated based on prostate-specific transcripts using the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics standards. Associations were tested in 4399 PCa cases and 85,403 unaffected male controls using logistic regression adjusting for age and genetic background. p < .005 was considered significant based on Bonferroni correction. RESULTS: Among the 10 tested genes, significantly higher mutation carrier rates in PCa cases versus controls were found for four genes at p < .005; HOXB13, BRCA2, ATM, and CHEK2, with odds ratios (95% confidence interval) estimated at 4.96 (3.62-6.69), 3.23 (2.23-4.56), 2.95 (2.01-4.22), 1.94 (1.43-2.58), respectively. No significant association was found between mutation carrier status and age at PCa diagnosis or family history of PCa. Despite the large sample size of this study, statistical power remains limited, especially for genes where pathogenic mutation carrier rates are extremely rare (<0.03%). CONCLUSION: Observed evidence for PCa risk was found for four of the 10 guideline-recommended genes in this large population-based study. Mutations in these four genes can be interpreted with confidence in genetic counseling for PCa risk assessment. Evidence for the remaining six genes needs to be further evaluated in larger studies.

Physician-directed genetic screening to evaluate personal risk for medically actionable disorders: a large multi-center cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The use of proactive genetic screening for disease prevention and early detection is not yet widespread. Professional practice guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) have encouraged reporting pathogenic variants that confer personal risk for actionable monogenic hereditary disorders, but only as secondary findings from exome or genome sequencing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes the potential public health impact of three Tier 1 actionable disorders. Here, we report results of a large multi-center cohort study to determine the yield and potential value of screening healthy individuals for variants associated with a broad range of actionable monogenic disorders, outside the context of secondary findings. METHODS: Eligible adults were offered a proactive genetic screening test by health care providers in a variety of clinical settings. The screening panel based on next-generation sequencing contained up to 147 genes associated with monogenic disorders within cancer, cardiovascular, and other important clinical areas. Sequence and intragenic copy number variants classified as pathogenic, likely pathogenic, pathogenic (low penetrance), or increased risk allele were considered clinically significant and reported. Results were analyzed by clinical area and severity/burden of disease using chi-square tests without Yates' correction. RESULTS: Among 10,478 unrelated adults screened, 1619 (15.5%) had results indicating personal risk for an actionable monogenic disorder. In contrast, only 3.1 to 5.2% had clinically reportable variants in genes suggested by the ACMG version 2 secondary findings list to be examined during exome or genome sequencing, and 2% had reportable variants related to CDC Tier 1 conditions. Among patients, 649 (6.2%) were positive for a genotype associated with a disease of high severity/burden, including hereditary cancer syndromes, cardiovascular disorders, or malignant hyperthermia susceptibility. CONCLUSIONS: This is one of the first real-world examples of specialists and primary care providers using genetic screening with a multi-gene panel to identify health risks in their patients. Nearly one in six individuals screened for variants associated with actionable monogenic disorders had clinically significant results. These findings provide a foundation for further studies to assess the role of genetic screening as part of regular medical care.

The predictive ability of the 313 variant-based polygenic risk score for contralateral breast cancer risk prediction in women of European ancestry with a heterozygous BRCA1 or BRCA2 pathogenic variant.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between a previously published 313 variant-based breast cancer (BC) polygenic risk score (PRS313) and contralateral breast cancer (CBC) risk, in BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant heterozygotes. METHODS: We included women of European ancestry with a prevalent first primary invasive BC (BRCA1 = 6,591 with 1,402 prevalent CBC cases; BRCA2 = 4,208 with 647 prevalent CBC cases) from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA), a large international retrospective series. Cox regression analysis was performed to assess the association between overall and ER-specific PRS313 and CBC risk. RESULTS: For BRCA1 heterozygotes the estrogen receptor (ER)-negative PRS313 showed the largest association with CBC risk, hazard ratio (HR) per SD = 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.06-1.18), C-index = 0.53; for BRCA2 heterozygotes, this was the ER-positive PRS313, HR = 1.15, 95% CI (1.07-1.25), C-index = 0.57. Adjusting for family history, age at diagnosis, treatment, or pathological characteristics for the first BC did not change association effect sizes. For women developing first BC < age 40 years, the cumulative PRS313 5th and 95th percentile 10-year CBC risks were 22% and 32% for BRCA1 and 13% and 23% for BRCA2 heterozygotes, respectively. CONCLUSION: The PRS313 can be used to refine individual CBC risks for BRCA1/2 heterozygotes of European ancestry, however the PRS313 needs to be considered in the context of a multifactorial risk model to evaluate whether it might influence clinical decision-making.

Germline HOXB13 G84E mutation carriers and risk to twenty common types of cancer: results from the UK Biobank.

Germline HOXB13 G84E mutation has been consistently associated with prostate cancer (PCa) risk, but its association with other cancers is controversial. We systematically tested its association with the 20 most common cancer types in subjects from the UK Biobank. The G84E mutation was found in 1,545 (0.34%) of 460,224 participants of European ancestry. While mutation status did not associate with cancer risk in females, it was significantly associated with increased risk in males; odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval) for overall cancer diagnosis was 2.19 (1.89-2.52), P = 2.5E-19. The association remained after excluding PCa; OR = 1.4 (1.16-1.68), P = 0.003, suggesting association with other cancers. Indeed, suggestive novel associations were found for two other cancer types; rectosigmoid cancer, OR = 2.25 (1.05-4.15), P = 0.05 and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), OR = 1.40 (1.12-1.74), P = 0.01. For NMSC, the association was found only in basal cell carcinoma, OR = 1.37 (1.07-1.74), P = 0.03. These findings have potential clinical utility for genetic counselling regarding HOXB13.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic sequence variants in women of African origin or ancestry.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) pathogenic sequence variants (PSVs) confer elevated risks of multiple cancers. However, most BRCA1/2 PSVs reports focus on European ancestry individuals. Knowledge of the PSV distribution in African descent individuals is poorly understood. We undertook a systematic review of the published literature and publicly available databases reporting BRCA1/2 PSVs also accessed the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA) database to identify African or African descent individuals. Using these data, we inferred which of the BRCA PSVs were likely to be of African continental origin. Of the 43,817 BRCA1/2 PSV carriers in the CIMBA database, 469 (1%) were of African descent. Additional African descent individuals were identified in public databases (n = 291) and the literature (n = 601). We identified 164 unique BRCA1 and 173 unique BRCA2 PSVs in individuals of African ancestry. Of these, 83 BRCA1 and 91 BRCA2 PSVs are of likely or possible African origin. We observed numerous differences in the distribution of PSV type and function in African origin versus non-African origin PSVs. Research in populations of African ancestry with BRCA1/2 PSVs is needed to provide the information needed for clinical management and decision-making in African descent individuals worldwide.

Combined genetic and splicing analysis of BRCA1 c.[594-2A>C; 641A>G] highlights the relevance of naturally occurring in-frame transcripts for developing disease gene variant classification algorithms.

A recent analysis using family history weighting and co-observation classification modeling indicated that BRCA1 c.594-2A > C (IVS9-2A > C), previously described to cause exon 10 skipping (a truncating alteration), displays characteristics inconsistent with those of a high risk pathogenic BRCA1 variant. We used large-scale genetic and clinical resources from the ENIGMA, CIMBA and BCAC consortia to assess pathogenicity of c.594-2A > C. The combined odds for causality considering case-control, segregation and breast tumor pathology information was 3.23 × 10-8 Our data indicate that c.594-2A > C is always in cis with c.641A > G. The spliceogenic effect of c.[594-2A > C;641A > G] was characterized using RNA analysis of human samples and splicing minigenes. As expected, c.[594-2A > C; 641A > G] caused exon 10 skipping, albeit not due to c.594-2A > C impairing the acceptor site but rather by c.641A > G modifying exon 10 splicing regulatory element(s). Multiple blood-based RNA assays indicated that the variant allele did not produce detectable levels of full-length transcripts, with a per allele BRCA1 expression profile composed of ≈70-80% truncating transcripts, and ≈20-30% of in-frame Δ9,10 transcripts predicted to encode a BRCA1 protein with tumor suppression function.We confirm that BRCA1c.[594-2A > C;641A > G] should not be considered a high-risk pathogenic variant. Importantly, results from our detailed mRNA analysis suggest that BRCA-associated cancer risk is likely not markedly increased for individuals who carry a truncating variant in BRCA1 exons 9 or 10, or any other BRCA1 allele that permits 20-30% of tumor suppressor function. More generally, our findings highlight the importance of assessing naturally occurring alternative splicing for clinical evaluation of variants in disease-causing genes.

Diagnostic Exome Sequencing Identifies a Novel Gene, EMILIN1, Associated with Autosomal-Dominant Hereditary Connective Tissue Disease.

Heritable connective tissue diseases are a highly heterogeneous family of over 200 disorders that affect the extracellular matrix. While the genetic basis of several disorders is established, the etiology has not been discovered for a large portion of patients, likely due to rare yet undiscovered disease genes. By performing trio-exome sequencing of a 55-year-old male proband presenting with multiple symptoms indicative of a connective disorder, we identified a heterozygous missense alteration in exon 1 of the Elastin Microfibril Interfacer 1 (EMILIN1) gene, c.64G>A (p.A22T). The proband presented with ascending and descending aortic aneurysms, bilateral lower leg and foot sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy, arthropathy, and increased skin elasticity. Sanger sequencing confirmed that the EMILIN1 alteration, which maps around the signal peptide cleavage site, segregated with disease in the affected proband, mother, and son. The impaired secretion of EMILIN-1 in cells transfected with the mutant p.A22T coincided with abnormal protein accumulation within the endoplasmic reticulum. In skin biopsy of the proband, we detected less EMILIN-1 with disorganized and abnormal coarse fibrils, aggregated deposits underneath the epidermis basal lamina, and dermal cells apoptosis. These findings collectively suggest that EMILIN1 may represent a new disease gene associated with an autosomal-dominant connective tissue disorder.

Male breast cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: pathology data from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2.

BACKGROUND: BRCA1 and, more commonly, BRCA2 mutations are associated with increased risk of male breast cancer (MBC). However, only a paucity of data exists on the pathology of breast cancers (BCs) in men with BRCA1/2 mutations. Using the largest available dataset, we determined whether MBCs arising in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers display specific pathologic features and whether these features differ from those of BRCA1/2 female BCs (FBCs). METHODS: We characterised the pathologic features of 419 BRCA1/2 MBCs and, using logistic regression analysis, contrasted those with data from 9675 BRCA1/2 FBCs and with population-based data from 6351 MBCs in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. RESULTS: Among BRCA2 MBCs, grade significantly decreased with increasing age at diagnosis (P = 0.005). Compared with BRCA2 FBCs, BRCA2 MBCs were of significantly higher stage (P for trend = 2 × 10(-5)) and higher grade (P for trend = 0.005) and were more likely to be oestrogen receptor-positive [odds ratio (OR) 10.59; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 5.15-21.80] and progesterone receptor-positive (OR 5.04; 95 % CI 3.17-8.04). With the exception of grade, similar patterns of associations emerged when we compared BRCA1 MBCs and FBCs. BRCA2 MBCs also presented with higher grade than MBCs from the SEER database (P for trend = 4 × 10(-12)). CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the largest series analysed to date, our results show that BRCA1/2 MBCs display distinct pathologic characteristics compared with BRCA1/2 FBCs, and we identified a specific BRCA2-associated MBC phenotype characterised by a variable suggesting greater biological aggressiveness (i.e., high histologic grade). These findings could lead to the development of gender-specific risk prediction models and guide clinical strategies appropriate for MBC management.

Patient satisfaction with nipple-sparing mastectomy: A prospective study of patient reported outcomes using the BREAST-Q.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to study patient-reported outcomes following nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM). METHODS: From 2008 to 2011, the BREAST-Q was administered to women undergoing NSM surgery for cancer treatment or risk-reduction prior to surgery and at 2 years after completion of reconstruction. The change in score over time and the impact of surgical indication, complication occurrence, and laterality on scores were analyzed. RESULTS: The BREAST-Q was prospectively administered to 39 women undergoing NSM for cancer treatment (n = 17) or risk-reduction (RR) (n = 22). At 2 years after operation, median overall satisfaction with breasts was 75 (IQR = 67,100). There were significant postoperative increases in scores for overall satisfaction with breasts (+8, P = 0.021) and psychosocial well-being (+14, P = 0.003). Postoperatively, RR patients had significantly higher scores for psychosocial wellness, physical impact (chest), and overall satisfaction with outcome compared to cancer treatment patients (P < 0.05). Also, increase from preoperative to postoperative psychosocial wellness was higher in the RR compared to cancer treatment patients (+17 vs. +1, P = 0.043). Complication occurrence did not significantly impact postoperative scores. CONCLUSIONS: Following NSM for cancer treatment or RR, patients demonstrated high levels of satisfaction and quality of life as measured by BREAST-Q. Satisfaction level increased 2 years following operation. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;114:416-422. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Nipple-sparing mastectomy in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers: an interim analysis and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: There are few large-scale studies that have examined outcomes for BRCA1/2 carriers who have undergone nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM). The objective of our study was to examine incidental cancers, operative complications, and locoregional recurrences in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers who underwent NSM for both risk reduction and cancer treatment. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of pathology results and outcomes of 201 BRCA1/2 carriers from two different institutions who underwent NSM from 2007 to 2014. RESULTS: NSM was performed in 397 breasts of 201 BRCA1/2 carriers. One hundred and twenty-five (62.2 %) patients had a BRCA1 mutation and 76 (37.8 %) had a BRCA2 mutation; 150 (74.6 %) patients underwent NSM for risk reduction and 51 (25.4 %) for cancer. Incidental cancers were found in four (2.7 %) of the 150 risk-reduction patients and two (3.9 %) of the 51 cancer patients. The nipple-areolar complex (NAC) was involved with cancer in three (5.8 %) patients. No prophylactic mastectomy had a positive NAC margin. There was loss of the NAC in seven breasts (1.8 %) and flap necrosis in ten (2.5 %) breasts. With a mean follow-up of 32.6 months (1-76 months), there have been four cancer events-three in cancer patients and one in a risk-reduction patient but none at the NAC. CONCLUSION: NSM in BRCA1/2 carriers is associated with a low rate of complications and locoregional recurrence but these patients require long-term follow-up in both the cancer and risk-reduction setting.

A public resource facilitating clinical use of genomes.

Rapid advances in DNA sequencing promise to enable new diagnostics and individualized therapies. Achieving personalized medicine, however, will require extensive research on highly reidentifiable, integrated datasets of genomic and health information. To assist with this, participants in the Personal Genome Project choose to forgo privacy via our institutional review board- approved "open consent" process. The contribution of public data and samples facilitates both scientific discovery and standardization of methods. We present our findings after enrollment of more than 1,800 participants, including whole-genome sequencing of 10 pilot participant genomes (the PGP-10). We introduce the Genome-Environment-Trait Evidence (GET-Evidence) system. This tool automatically processes genomes and prioritizes both published and novel variants for interpretation. In the process of reviewing the presumed healthy PGP-10 genomes, we find numerous literature references implying serious disease. Although it is sometimes impossible to rule out a late-onset effect, stringent evidence requirements can address the high rate of incidental findings. To that end we develop a peer production system for recording and organizing variant evaluations according to standard evidence guidelines, creating a public forum for reaching consensus on interpretation of clinically relevant variants. Genome analysis becomes a two-step process: using a prioritized list to record variant evaluations, then automatically sorting reviewed variants using these annotations. Genome data, health and trait information, participant samples, and variant interpretations are all shared in the public domain-we invite others to review our results using our participant samples and contribute to our interpretations. We offer our public resource and methods to further personalized medical research.

Use of risk-reducing surgeries in a prospective cohort of 1,499 BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.

Inherited mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) confer very high risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Genetic testing and counseling can reduce risk and death from these cancers if appropriate preventive strategies are applied, including risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) or risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM). However, some women who might benefit from these interventions do not take full advantage of them. We evaluated RRSO and RRM use in a prospective cohort of 1,499 women with inherited BRCA1/2 mutations from 20 centers who enrolled in the study without prior cancer or RRSO or RRM and were followed forward for the occurrence of these events. We estimated the age-specific usage of RRSO/RRM in this cohort using Kaplan-Meier analyses. Use of RRSO was 45% for BRCA1 and 34% for BRCA2 by age 40, and 86% for BRCA1 and 71% for BRCA2 by age 50. RRM usage was estimated to be 46% by age 70 in both BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers. BRCA1 mutation carriers underwent RRSO more frequently than BRCA2 mutation carriers overall, but the uptake of RRSO in BRCA2 was similar after mutation testing and in women born since 1960. RRM uptake was similar for both BRCA1 and BRCA2. Childbearing influenced the use of RRSO and RRM in both BRCA1 and BRCA2. Uptake of RRSO is high, but some women are still diagnosed with ovarian cancer before undergoing RRSO. This suggests that research is needed to understand the optimal timing of RRSO to maximize risk reduction and limit potential adverse consequences of RRSO.

Association of Reported Candidate Monogenic Genes With Lung Cancer Risk.

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND: Published studies on association of germline monogenic genes and lung cancer risk were inconsistent. Our objective is to assess the validity of reported candidate monogenic genes for their association with lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review of published papers prior to August 2022 was performed first to identify all genes where germline mutations were associated with lung cancer risk. We then performed a confirmation study in 2,050 lung cancer cases and 198,553 controls in the UK Biobank (UKB). Germline mutations of these genes were identified from sequencing data and annotated using The American College of Medical Genetics criteria. The robust SKAT-O, a gene-based analysis that properly controls for false positives due to unbalanced case-control ratio, was used for association tests adjusting for age at recruitment, gender, and genetic background. RESULTS: The systematic review identified 12 genes that were statistically significantly associated with lung cancer risk in at least one study (P < .05), including ATM, BLM, BRCA2, BRIP1, CHEK2, FANCA, FANCD2, MSH6, PMS1, RAD51C, RAD51D, and TP53. When pathogenic/likely pathogenic mutations were aggregated within each gene, the association was confirmed for ATM (P = 4.47E-4) at the study-wise significance level (P < .0042, Bonferroni correction for 12 tests). Suggestive evidence of association was found for 2 other genes, BRCA2 (P = .007) and TP53 (P = .03). Among these 3 genes, the lung cancer risks range from 1.95 (BRCA2) to 5.28 (TP53). CONCLUSION: This study provides statistical evidence for association of previously reported genes and lung cancer risk and has clinical utility for risk assessment and genetic counseling.

Refining Risk for Alzheimer's Disease Among Heterozygous APOEɛ4 Carriers.

In a large population-based cohort, we show not all heterozygous APOEɛ4 carriers are at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD); a significantly higher AD proportion was only found for ɛ3/ɛ4, not ɛ2/ɛ4. Among ɛ3/ɛ4 carriers (24% in the cohort), the AD proportion differed considerably by polygenic risk score (PRS). In particular, the AD proportion was lower than the entire cohort for subjects in the bottom 20-percentile PRS and was higher than that of homozygous ɛ4 carriers for subjects at the top 5th-percentile PRS. Family history was no longer a significant predictor of AD risk after adjusting APOE and PRS.