Recessive FANCM cancer syndrome with high cancer risks, chemotherapy toxicity, chromosome fragility, and gonadal failure.

Abstract

Purpose: Heterozygous FANCM variants have been associated with breast cancer. Only a few studies have examined other cancer types. Biallelic truncating variants have been linked to a Fanconi anemia (FA)-like cancer prone syndrome in case reports; however, the range of cancers and the risk estimates are lacking.

Methods: We studied the association of Finnish-enriched variants c.5101C>T p.(Gln1701Ter) and c.5791C>T p.(Arg1931Ter) with risk of any cancer and FA-related conditions in the FinnGen data with 500,348 individuals.

Results: Heterozygous c.5101C>T (N = 10,940) was associated not only with an increased risk of breast cancer (odds ratio = 1.24, P = 2.7 × 10^-6) but also with risks of other cancer types, including hypopharyngeal (odds ratio = 3.98, P = 3.6 × 10^-7), suggesting a risk effect wider than previously described. Homozygous c.5101C>T (N = 76) was associated with a high risk of breast, head and neck, gastrointestinal, gynecological, hematologic, skin, and lung cancer, whereas c.5791C>T was rare. Additionally, high recessive risks of ovarian dysfunction and hematologic side effects after cancer treatment were detected, but no risks of bone marrow failure or physical features of FA.

Conclusion: Based on the pattern of risks associated with biallelic variants, we suggest a novel FANCM cancer syndrome that is separate from FA and other characterized cancer susceptibility syndromes.