Analysis of Inherited Cancers

This study will recruit individuals with known BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations or mutations in similar cancer causing genes such as CHK2 or PALB2 who have had a cancer removed by surgery or biopsied two or more times with available pathological blocks. We wish to enroll individuals who have had more than one surgery or biopsy for cancer allowing us to obtain tumor blocks from more than one time point. Such patients would include those with one cancer which has recurred or more than one separate cancer. We will conduct a brief interview with the subject to obtain personal information about medical and treatment history. In addition, we will collect clinical information from their treating physician(s) to correlate molecular findings with clinical responses to treatment and survival and recurrence data. We will collect background clinical information and family history information and a copy of the genetic test results documenting their cancer causing mutation. We will recruit only patients with known BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations or known mutations in other cancer causing genes such as CHK2 or PALB2 and will not perform genetic testing on non-tumor tissue for any new information on genetic susceptibility in patient samples. Enrolled subjects will donate a blood sample that will be obtained locally and shipped to the research laboratory, and this cost will be entirely covered by the research group.