At present, we are not sure because results from different studies have been inconsistent (1). For instance, one study among 173 families with a BRCA2 mutation found a 2.6-fold risk of developing melanoma (2); however, another study of 139 Dutch families with a BRCA2 mutation revealed a lower than general population risk for melanoma (3). These
inconsistent findings emphasize the need for additional research on melanoma risk among BRCA2 carriers.
1 Gumaste, et al. Br J Dermatol. 2015;172(6):1498-1506. PMID: 25524463.
2 Breast Cancer Linkage Consortium. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999;91(15):1310-6. PMID: 10433620.
3 van Asperen, et al. J Med Genet. 2005;42(9):711-9. PMID: 16141007