The significant difference in ZNF703 mRNA according to BRCA mutation status was due to higher expression in BRCA2-mutated tumors as compared with sporadic tumors, which is explained by the high ratio of BRCA2-mutated ER-positive luminal tumors belonging to the luminal B subtype (80%).
Associations between other PAH-related exposures and breast cancer did not differ statistically between mutation status subtypes, possibly due to insufficient power to detect such differences.
The clinical utility of ARID1A mutation status is currently unclear, due to a limited number of sufficiently powered studies.
We censored follow-up duration at the time of any cancer diagnosis, and used a statistical method [19] that ensures that the observed association between mutation status and mortality were not due to any reported cancers.
Recently, MMR status, KRAS and BRAF mutation status have attracted remarkable attention due to their potential prognostic and predictive role in colorectal carcinomas [ 10- 12].
Contrary to our findings, they did not find differences in prognosis and mutation status in this subgroup, probably due to the low representation of this usage.
In contrast, there was no statistically significant difference in the distribution pattern due to BRCA mutation status overall (P=0.129) or in BRCA mutation carriers versus normal controls during the luteal phase (P=0.09).
Nine patients had tumours with ineligible mutations and EGFR mutation status was unknown in 201 patients due to technical reasons (e.g. low tumour content, poor sample quality, insufficient quantity, poor/inappropriate fixation, no DNA).
A beneficial effect of pre-diagnosis bilateral oophorectomy on breast cancer-specific mortality has been reported in some [ 9], but not all [ 10], studies of women in the general population and among patient populations of women at high risk of developing breast cancer due to BRCA1/2 mutation status [ 11].
It is evident there are no obvious clustering patterns due either BAF250a or PIK3CA mutation status.
