The c.657del5 variant in the NBN gene predisposes to pancreatic cancer

• The pathogenic c.657del5 mutation in NBN was found in a high-risk PC patient by NGS.
• This variant was identified in additional 5/241 (2.1%) unselected PC patients.
• This variant represents a novel PC-susceptibility allele increasing the disease risk.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the sixth most frequent cancer type in the Czech Republic with a poor prognosis that could be improved by an early detection and subsequent surgical treatment combined with chemotherapy. Genetic factors play an important role in PDAC risk. We previously identified one PDAC patient harboring the Slavic founder deleterious mutation c.657del5 in the NBN gene, using a panel next-generation sequencing (NGS). A subsequent analysis of 241 unselected PDAC patients revealed other mutation carriers. The overall frequency of c.657del5 in unselected PDAC patients (5/241; 2.07%) significantly differed from that in non-cancer controls (2/915; 0.2%; P = 0.006). The result indicates that the NBN c.657del5 variant represents a novel PDAC-susceptibility allele increasing PDAC risk (OR = 9.7; 95% CI: 1.9 to 50.2). The increased risk of PDAC in follow-up recommendations for NBN mutation carriers should be considered if other studies also confirm an increased frequency of c.657del5 carriers in PDAC patients from other populations.