BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations in Ovarian Cancer

To the Editor: Dr Yang and colleagues found significantly better progression-free survival rates in women with ovarian cancer and BRCA2 mutations compared with BRCA1 mutations or wild-type BRCA.¹ In addition, they reported that BRCA2 mutations were associated with a 100% primary chemotherapy sensitivity rate compared with 82% for BRCA wild-type and 80% for BRCA1- mutated cases, suggesting an improved primary chemotherapy response in women with a BRCA2 mutation. We would like to suggest 2 alternative explanations for the observed differences in outcomes.