CHEK2: Options for Cancer Treatment
Cancer Treatment for People with Inherited Mutations
People with an inherited 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 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 mutation.
- You are making breast cancer surgical decisions
- You have prostate cancer
- You have advanced ovarian cancer
Regardless of cancer type, people with a mutation may benefit from testing and may qualify for clinical trials looking for more effective treatments for cancer.
Note that where we say "women" we are referring to people assigned female at birth.
Breast cancer surgical decisions
Experts estimate that women with 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 in may choose mastectomy rather than 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 that work by blocking a protein used to repair damaged . They were initially developed to treat cancers in people with an inherited or mutation. Since then, research and additional approvals have expanded use of PARP inhibitors to more situations. People with an mutation who have been diagnosed with cancer may want to ask their doctor about therapy.
prostate cancer
The PARP inhibitors, Lynparza () and () have received approval to treat castration-resistant cancer (mCRPC) with a mutation in or another gene linked to a certain type of damage repair.
PARP inhibitors for advanced ovarian, or primary peritoneal cancer
Several PARP inhibitors have been approved to treat ovarian cancers at different stages of the disease. In some situations, a tumor known as an test ("hemologous recombination deficiency") can help people with an inherited mutation and advanced ovarian cancer learn if they may benefit from a .
after treatment
- testing can help determine which advanced ovarian cancers may respond to the Lynparza in combination with bevacizumab as after platinum chemotherapy.
- is approved for for advanced ovarian, , or primary peritoneal cancer in people who had a complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy. for does not require an test.
after treatment of recurrent cancer
- , () and Lynparza are all approved for maintenance therapy in people with recurrent epithelial ovarian, , or primary peritoneal cancer who are in a complete or partial response to platinum based chemotherapy. In this setting, none of these drugs requires an test.
PARP inhibitors for other advanced cancers with no treatment options
If you have a mutation and advanced cancer that no longer responds to standard therapy, you may want to talk with your doctor about whether you might benefit from treatment with a .
