Background: Several studies have evaluated histologic features of non-neoplastic breast parenchyma in patients with BRCA1/2 mutations, but the results are conflicting. The limited data suggest a much higher prevalence of high-risk precursor lesions in BRCA carriers. Therefore, we designed this study to compare the clinicopathological characteristics of peritumoral benign breast tissue in patients with and without deleterious BRCA mutations.
Methods: Women with breast cancer (BC) who were referred for genetic counseling and underwent BRCA genetic testing in 2010 and 2011 were included in the study.
Results: Of the six benign histological features analyzed in this study, only stromal fibrosis grade 2/3 was found to be statistically different, with more BRCA noncarriers having stromal fibrosis grade 2/3 than BRCA1/2 carriers (P = 0.04).
Conclusion: There is no significant association between mutation risk and the presence of benign histologic features of peritumoral breast parenchyma.
Keywords: BRCA mutation; breast cancer; lobular sclerosis; lobular type; lobulitis; peritumoral breast parenchyma; stromal fibrosis.