BRCA1 and BRCA2 Gene Mutations and Lung Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis

Background and objective: BRCA1 and BRCA2 are associated with many cancer types in addition to hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. However, their relation to lung cancer remains to be explored. Materials and Methods: Observation studies were systematically reviewed to explore the association of BRCA1 or BRCA2 with lung cancer. PubMed, MEDLINE [EBSCOhost], and relevant articles published up to 7 January 2020 were searched. Odd ratio (OR), standardized morbidity rate (SMR), and cancer-specific standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were pooled together as relative risk (RR) estimates (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66–1.40). Results: Thirteen studies were included for analysis. Results showed that the RR of BRCA2 is 0.76 (95% CI, 0.48–1.19), the overall RR is 0.96 (95% CI, 0.66–1.40), and that of BRCA1 is 0.66 (95% CI, 0.41–1.05), indicating that it was not associated with lung cancer. Conclusion: With the limitation of the retrospective study design and severe heterogeneity, these results inform clinicians and relevant families that BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers have no increased risk of lung cancer.