Pathogenic variants in BRCA2 [odds ratio (OR) = 13.9; p = 1.92 × 10<sup>-16</sup>], CHEK2 (OR = 3.7; p = 6.24 × 10<sup>-24</sup>), and PALB2 (OR = 6.6, p = 0.01) were associated with significantly increased risks of MBC.
Here, we investigated the contribution of BRCA1, BRCA2 and CHEK2 alterations to MBC predisposition in Italy by analysing a large series of MBC cases, unselected for breast cancer family history and all negative for BRCA1/BRCA2 germ-line mutations.
To extend our knowledge on the role of CHEK2 in susceptibility to male breast cancer we have screened a series of 26 breast cancer cases with male representation for germline sequence variation in the CHEK2 gene.
We wanted to evaluate the significance of CHEK21100delC in predisposition to MBC by assessing its frequency in a population-based material of 114 Finnish MBC patients.