Table 1.
Characteristics and quality scores of studies included in the review (N = 66).
Table 2.
Results of studies included in the review (N = 66).
Fig 1.
Flow diagram of the inclusion process of papers and studies in the review.
OS = Overall survival; BCSS = Breast cancer-specific survival; MFS = Metastasis-free survival; RFS = Recurrence-free survival.
Fig 2.
Quality distribution based on selection bias, misclassification bias and confounding/accounting for mediating variables in all included studies (n = 66).
The scores for selection bias and misclassification bias were taken into account for the analysis of the univariate outcomes (panel A). The scores for selection bias, misclassification bias and confounding accounting for mediating variables were taken into account for the analysis of multivariate outcomes (panel B). CGC based studies with ext. ref. = CGC based studies with external reference group; CGC based studies with int. ref. = CGC based studies with internal reference group.
Fig 3.
Forest plots of studies reporting survival estimates for BRCA1 mutation carriers compared to ‘non-carriers’, classified per study type and sorted by quality score.
Separate forest plots are shown of studies reporting overall survival (panels A and B), breast cancer-specific survival (panels C and D), metastasis-free survival (panels E and F) and recurrence-free survival (panel G) of BRCA1 mutation carriers compared to ‘non-carriers’. Additionally, the results for each type of survival outcome are stratified per reported risk estimate: the 5-year and 10-year absolute overall survival difference (panels A, C, E, G) and the adjusted and unadjusted hazard ratios for overall survival (panels B, D, F). Size of the bullet represents the number of included carriers; black bullet = HQ study; round bullet (●) and * = A. Jewish study population, only founder mutations tested; square bullet (■) and ** = specific study population (but not A. Jewish), in which only founder mutations were tested;— = 95% Confidence interval (only for hazard ratios); CGC based studies with ext. ref. = CGC based studies with external reference group; CGC based studies with int. ref. = CGC based studies with internal reference group; Sign = statistically significant (P < 0.05); NS = not statistically significant; NR = not reported; †Adjusted for clinico-pathological characteristics and/or treatment.
Table 3.
Pooled estimates and heterogeneity analysis for separate risk estimates.
Table 4.
Best-evidence synthesis: a summary of the available evidence for the relation between BRCA1 mutation carriership and breast cancer prognosis.
Table 5.
Best-evidence synthesis: a summary of the available evidence for the relation between BRCA2 mutation carriership and breast cancer prognosis.
Fig 4.
Forest plots of studies reporting survival estimates for BRCA2 mutation carriers compared to ‘non-carriers’, classified per study type and sorted by quality score.
Separate forest plots are shown of studies reporting overall survival (panels A and B), breast cancer-specific survival (panels C and D) of BRCA2 mutation carriers compared to ‘non-carriers’. Additionally, the results for each type of survival outcome are stratified per reported risk estimate: the 5-year and 10-year absolute overall survival difference (panels A and C) and the adjusted and unadjusted hazard ratios for overall survival (panels B and D). Size of the bullet represents the number of included carriers; black bullet = HQ study; round bullet (●) and * = A. Jewish study population, only founder mutations tested; square bullet (■) and ** = specific study population (but not A. Jewish), in which only founder mutations were tested; — = 95% Confidence interval (only for hazard ratios); CGC based studies with ext. ref. = CGC based studies with external reference group; CGC based studies with int. ref. = CGC based studies with internal reference group; Sign = statistically significant (P < 0.05); NS = not statistically significant; NR = not reported; †Adjusted for clinico-pathological characteristics and/or treatment.
Table 6.
Table of studies reporting an unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratio.