CHEK2: Options for Cancer Treatment

Cancer Treatment for People with Inherited
CHEK2 Mutations

People with an inherited CHEK2 mutation who have been diagnosed with cancer may have different treatment options than people without a mutation. To learn more about standard-of-care treatment options for specific types of cancer, visit our section on Cancer Treatment by Cancer Type. 

If you have an inherited CHEK2 mutation, have been diagnosed with cancer and any of the situations below apply to you, you may wish to speak to your doctor about your medical options. You may also consider enrolling in a clinical trial studying which treatments work best for people with an inherited CHEK2 mutation. 

Regardless of cancer type, people with a CHEK2 mutation may benefit from biomarker testing and may qualify for clinical trials looking for more effective treatments for cancer.

Breast cancer surgical decisions 

Experts estimate that women with CHEK2 mutations who have been diagnosed with cancer have about a 6-8 percent risk for developing a second cancer within 10 years. Because of this increased risk, some women who are diagnosed with breast cancer who test positive for an inherited mutation in CHEK2 may choose bilateral mastectomy rather than lumpectomy and radiation. Mutation carriers who undergo mastectomy are less likely to develop a second breast cancer. 

Targeted therapies for advanced cancers

PARP inhibitors are a type of targeted therapy that work by blocking a protein used to repair DNA that has been damaged. They were initially developed to treat cancers in people with an inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. Since then, research and additional FDA approvals have expanded use of PARP inhibitors to more situations. People with a CHEK2 mutation who have been diagnosed with cancer may want to ask their doctor about PARP inhibitor therapy. 

Metastatic prostate cancer

The PARP inhibitors, Lynparza (olaparib) and Talzenna (talazoparib) have received FDA approval to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with a mutation in CHEK2 or another gene linked to a certain type of DNA damage repair. 

PARP inhibitors for advanced ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer

Two PARP inhibitors have been approved as first-line maintenance therapy for ovarian cancer based on a tumor biomarker test known as an HRD test ("homologous recombination deficiency"). Cancers that test HRD-positive may be treated with Lynparza (olaparib) in combination with Avastin (bevacizumab) or Zejula (niraparib) alone as maintenance therapy after first-line platinum chemotherapy.

Targeted therapies for advanced cancers with no other treatment options

If you have a CHEK2 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 targeted therapy or participation in a clinical trial. 

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