Prevalence of germline TP53 mutations in HER2+ breast cancer patients

Breast cancer is the most frequent tumor in Li–Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), a rare inherited cancer syndrome associated with germline mutations in the TP53 gene. Recent data show that breast cancer in germline TP53 mutation carriers is commonly HER2+ (63–83 %). We assessed the prevalence of germline TP53 mutations in a cohort of women with HER2+ breast cancer diagnosed age ≤50 years. We identified blood specimens from 213 women with primary invasive HER2+ breast cancer age ≤50 years from a single center. Exon grouping analysis sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification techniques were used to screen for germline TP53 mutations. Among 213 women with HER2+ breast cancer age ≤50 years, 3 (ages at diagnosis 23, 32, 44 years) were found to carry a TP53 mutation (1.4 %, 95 % CI 0.3–4.1 %). ER/PR status was not uniform. Two TP53 carriers met Chompret criteria for LFS; none met classic LFS criteria. Although two-thirds of breast cancers in women with TP53 mutations are HER2+, we observed a low prevalence of germline TP53 mutations among unselected young women with HER2+ breast cancer. Given the potential clinical impact, consideration of germline TP53 testing should be given to young women with HER2+ breast cancer, especially if family cancer history is notable.