BRCA2: Options for Cancer Treatment
Cancer Treatment for People with Inherited Mutations
Testing positive for an inherited BRCA2 mutation may affect your treatment options or eligibility for clinical trials studying which treatments work best. The following are examples of situations where a BRCA2 mutation may play a part in treatment decision-making.
Surgical decisions
Because of the very high risk for a second (or third) breast cancer diagnosis, women who are diagnosed with breast cancer who test positive for an in BRCA2 often choose mastectomy rather than and radiation. Mutation carriers who undergo mastectomy are less likely to develop a second breast cancer.
Unlike women, the risk for a second breast cancer diagnosis in men with a BRCA2 mutation is low. For this reason, bilateral mastectomy may not be recommended.
Treatment options for breast cancer
The PARP inhibitors, Lynparza (also known as ) and (also known as ) both have received approval for treating metastatic breast cancer caused by a mutation.
Treatment options for , high-risk breast cancer
The , Lynparza is FDA approved to treat people with early-stage, breast cancer who have an inherited BRCA mutation and who are at high risk for recurrence.
Maintenance therapy is a type of treatment that is given after chemotherapy treatment has been completed to keep the cancer from returning. There are three oral PARP inhibitors with FDA approval for maintenance therapy in advanced ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancer; Lynparza, () and ().
- People with a BRCA mutation who have completed front-line (their first course) of chemotherapy for ovarian cancer may use Lynparza as maintenance therapy to delay recurrence.
- Lynparza in combination with Avastin (bevacizumab) may be used as maintenance therapy after front-line platinum chemotherapy in people with a BRCA mutation.
- Lynparza, Rubraca, and Zejula may each be used as maintenance therapy to treat recurrent ovarian cancer in people who had either a complete or partial response to the most recent line of recurrence therapy. These PARP inhibitors have been approved for maintenance therapy in this setting regardless of BRCA mutation status. However, research suggests that the drugs work particularly well for people with a BRCA mutation.
Choice of chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer
People with pancreatic cancer and an inherited BRCA mutation may respond better to treatment that includes a type of chemotherapy known as platinum. Oxaliplatin is a platinum-containing drug often used to treat pancreatic cancer.
Maintenance therapy after chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer
The oral PARP inhibitor, Lynparza may be used as maintenance therapy for people with a BRCA mutation who completed platinum-based chemotherapy and whose pancreatic cancer has not come back or gotten worse.
Participate in Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Research
Below are some of our featured research studies looking at new treatments for pancreatic cancer. To search for more studies, visit our Search and Enroll Tool.
The usual approach for patients with curable (i.e., non-metastatic) pancreatic cancer is a combination of...
Study of a New InvestigationaI Inhibitor to Treat People with Advanced Solid Tumors
The study will test if an investigational treatment, XL309, is safe and works when used...
This trial will study the safety, tolerability, and initial effectiveness of MOMA-313, a new type...
This study will compare a 3-drug chemotherapy combination (NABPLAGEM; gemcitabine, cisplatin, nab-paclitaxel) to a 2-drug...
cancer
Prostate cancers tend to be slow-growing in most people, but prostate cancers in people with a BRCA mutation may be aggressive.
Several PARP inhibitors have received FDA approval for treating metastatic, castraction-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in people with BRCA mutations.
- Akeega is a drug that combines the hormone therapy drug with the PARP inhibitor niraparib in a single tablet. Akeega may be used in combination with prednisone as a treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) for people with a or BRCA2 mutation.
- Lynparza may be used to treat MCRPC in people who have a mutation in BRCA2 or another gene linked to damage repair whose prostate cancer got worse or came back after receiving hormone therapy with (Xtandi) or abiraterone (Zytiga).
- Rubraca may be used to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in people who have already received treatment with a certain type of hormone therapy and chemotherapy.
- Talzenna (talazoparib) may be used to treat people with metastatic, who have a mutation in BRCA2 or another gene linked to a certain type of DNA damage repair.
Participate in prostate cancer treatment research
Below are some of our featured research studies looking at new treatments for prostate cancer. To search for more studies, visit our Search and Enroll Tool.
Study of a New InvestigationaI Inhibitor to Treat People with Advanced Solid Tumors
Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT05932862
NePtune: Using PARP Inhibitors Before Surgery in Localized Prostate Cancer
Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT05498272
Advanced cancers with no treatment options
If you have a BRCA2 mutation and advanced cancer that no longer responds to standard therapy, you may have additional options. Talk with your doctor about tumor testing to learn whether you might benefit from a PARP inhibitor, another or participation in a clinical trial.