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The average age-specific cumulative risk (penetrance) of breast cancer has been studied for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers living in Western countries, but not for those living in East Asian countries where the population breast cancer incidence is lower. From 2007 to 2011, the Korean Hereditary Breast Cancer study identified 151 BRCA1 and 225 BRCA2 mutation-carrying families from family cancer clinics. We estimated the hazard ratio (HR) for female carriers relative to the population, and hence the penetrance, using a modified segregation analysis of cancer family histories conditioned on ascertainment. The breast cancer HR estimates [95 % confidence interval (CI)] for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers were 18 (3-103) and 11 (5-27), respectively. The breast cancer penetrance estimates (95 % CI) to age 70 years were 49 % (11-98) and 35 % (16-65) for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, respectively. The breast cancer HR and penetrance estimates were similar for Korean and Western women (all P > 0.4). The point estimates of breast cancer penetrance were similar to age 50 years, though less for Korean carriers at older ages. Breast cancer risk for Korean and Western mutation carriers might reflect underlying population risks which in turn likely reflect differences in environmental and lifestyle factors. This raises the possibility of identifying modifiers of cancer risk for carriers with implications for prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Korean Hereditary Breast Cancer (KOHBRA) study was established to evaluate the prevalence and spectrum of BRCA1/ 2 mutations in Korean breast cancer patients at risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. A total of 2953 subjects (2403 index patients and 550 family members of affected carriers) from 36 centers participated in this study between May 2007 and December 2013. All participants received genetic counseling and BRCA genetic testing. In total, 378 mutation carriers among 2403 index patients were identified. The prevalence of BRCA mutations in specific subgroups was as follows: 22.3 % (274/1228) for breast cancer patients with a family history of breast/ovarian cancers, 8.8 % (39/441) for patients with early-onset (<35 years) breast cancer without a family history, 16.3 % (34/209) for patients with bilateral breast cancer, 4.8 % (1/21) for male patients with breast cancer, and 37.5 % (3/8) for patients with both breast and ovarian cancer. From an analysis of the mutation spectrum, 63 BRCA1 and 90 BRCA2 different mutations, including 44 novel mutations, were identified. The c.7480 (p.Arg2494Ter) mutation in BRCA2 (10.1 %) was the most commonly identified in this cohort. The KOHBRA study is the largest cohort to identify BRCA mutation carriers in Asia. The results suggest that the prevalence of BRCA mutations in familial breast cancer patients is similar to that among Western cohorts. However, some single risk factors without family histories (early-onset breast cancer, male breast cancer, or multiple organ cancers) may limit the utility of BRCA gene testing in the Korean population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes and patterns of recurrence in the different subtypes of breast cancer. We analyzed 1432 stage I-III breast cancer patients who had undergone surgery at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between June 2003 and August 2011. Five subtypes were defined according to estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and Ki-67. Overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-free interval (BCFI) rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Site-specific recurrence was estimated using Gray's test. The median follow-up period was 53 months. There were 22 local recurrences, 18 cases of contralateral breast cancer, 19 regional nodal recurrences, and 70 distant metastases. The 5-year BCFIs by subtype were luminal B-HER2 (+), 94.2 %; luminal A, 93.9 %; luminal B-HER2 (−), 91.4 %; HER2, 83.1 %; and triple-negative, 81.9 % ( p < 0.001). Cases with the luminal A had a 5-year OS rate of 98.3 % that was the longest compared to those of cases with luminal B-HER2 (−), 95.8 %; luminal B-HER2 (+), 98.0 %; HER2, 90.8 %; and triple-negative, 89.9 % ( p < 0.001). The triple-negative had a higher rate of local recurrence at the first site than others ( p = 0.013). HER2 and triple-negative had higher rates of nodal recurrence at the first site than others ( p < 0.001). The outcomes and patterns of site-specific recurrence in Korean breast cancer patients were different for each subtype. Defining recurrence patterns by breast cancer subtypes can help determine the appropriate method of surveillance and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Written corrective feedback has been subject to increasing attention in recent years, in part because of the conceptual controversy surrounding it and in part because of its ubiquitous practice. This study takes a meta-analytic approach to synthesizing extant empirical research, including 21 primary studies. Guiding the analysis are two questions: Does written corrective feedback help to improve the grammatical accuracy of second language writing? What factors might mitigate its efficacy? Results show that written corrective feedback can lead to greater grammatical accuracy in second language writing, yet its efficacy is mediated by a host of variables, including learners' proficiency, the setting, and the genre of the writing task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apparent and effective molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) values of negatively charged nanofiltration (NF) membranes were determined using the fractional rejection of solutes of interest, including neutral polyethylene glycols and natural organic matter (NOM) containing ionizable functional groups. Varying the hydrodynamic operating conditions, denoted by the J/k ratio (where J represents the permeate water flux/convectional transport and k represents the mass transfer coefficient/back diffusional transport), produced changes in both the nominal and effective MWCO. Consequently, a higher J/k ratio resulted in reduced solute rejection and a higher MWCO. It was confirmed that the nominal MWCO provided by the membrane manufacturers might not be capable of predicting performance with respect to the different characteristics of various solutes (i.e., contaminants) since the predicted nominal MWCO values were nearly twice as high as those measured in this investigation. The effective MWCO values of the NF membranes with respect to NOM were slightly higher than the corresponding nominal MWCO when the NOM was relatively hydrophilic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to identify factors that affect the decision to undergo risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations carriers in South Korea. The medical records of 124 women who had been found to have BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation at our institution between May 2003 and December 2011 were reviewed. The carriers were divided into RRSO and non-RRSO groups for comparison of their clinicopathologic, socio-economic, and psychosocial factors. Of the 71 carriers eligible for RRSO, 21 had undergone RRSO. In univariate analysis, classification of carriers into 3 groups by decade of life (4th, 5th, or 6th and later decade) and subsequent analysis revealed that 52.6 % of carriers in the 5th decade had undergone RRSO, a rate significantly higher than that of the other age groups ( p = 0.007). The RRSO rate was higher in carriers with a personal history of breast cancer than in those without (39.2 % vs. 5.0 %, p = 0.004), in carriers with a family history of breast cancer than in those without (35.5 % vs. 11.8 %, p = 0.065), and in carriers with a family history of ovarian cancer than in those carriers without a family history (66.7 % vs. 24.2 %, p = 0.016). Multivariate analysis identified age and personal history of breast cancer as independent factors affecting the decision to undergo RRSO. Age and personal history of breast cancer are important factors in the decision to undergo, and should thus be considered when counseling BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]