Cancer risk associated with an inherited STK11 mutation
If you have tested positive for a STK11 mutation, we recommend consulting with a genetics expert who can assess your personal and family history of cancer, and can help you determine the best risk management plan.
People with an inherited STK11 have a greatly increased risk of developing several types of cancer.
Risks for women
Women who have an inherited mutation in STK11 have an increased lifetime risk for these cancers:
- Breast cancer: The lifetime risk for a women with a STK11 mutation is about 32 - 54 percent compared to 12.5 percent for an average risk woman.
- Ovarian cancer: The lifetime risk for a women with a STK11 mutation is about 18 - 21 (especially a rare type called a Sertoli cell tumor) compared to 1.3 percent for an average risk woman.
- Endometrial cancer: The lifetime risk for a women with a STK11 mutation is about 9 percent compared to 3 percent for an average risk woman.
- Cervical cancer: The lifetime risk for a women with a STK11 mutation is about 10 percent compared to less than 1 percent for an average risk woman.
Risks for men
Men who have a mutation in STK11 have about a 9% lifetime risk of developing a rare type of testicular cancer called a Sertoli cell tumor compared to less than 1% for men in the general population.
Risks for men and women
Men and women who have a mutation in STK11 are at increased risk of developing these cancers.
- Colorectal cancer: The lifetime risk for people with an STK11 mutation is about 39 percent compared to 4 percent for an average risk person.
- Pancreatic cancer: The lifetime risk is 11 - 36 percent compared to 1.5 percent for an average risk person.
- Stomach (gastric) cancer: The lifetime risk is 29 percent compared to less than 1 percent for the average risk person.
- Small intestine cancer: The lifetime risk is 13 percent compared to less than 1 percent for the average risk person.
- Lung cancer: The lifetime risk is 7 - 17 percent.
- NCT02665195: Prospective Registry Of MultiPlex Testing (PROMPT). PROMPT is an online research registry. The goal of PROMPT is to help researchers to better understand the risks that are linked to mutations in less well-studied genes. People with STK11 mutations can enroll in PROMPT to help researchers learn more about cancer risks.
- NCT03030404: Hereditary Gastric Cancer Syndromes: An Integrated Genomic and Clinicopathologic Study of the Predisposition to Gastric Cancer. Researchers want to gather data about hereditary gastric cancers. They want to learn about changes these cause in the body and about the genes involved.
- Identification and Analysis of Families With Genetic Susceptibility To Cancer Registry. The research laboratory at the Abramson Cancer Center is studying genetic sources of cancer risk. A number of research projects are performed in collaboration with this registry.