brca mutation status and its association to clinicopathological features in epithelial ovarian cancer

Background & objective: epithelial ovarian cancer (eoc), the most lethal gynecological malignancy, demonstrates distinct biological behaviors in brca-mutated cases. this study was conducted with aim of investigating the association between brca mutations and clinicopathological features in eoc patients, comparing characteristics between brca1 and brca2 subtypes.materials & methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted at dr. wahidin sudirohusodo hospital, makassar (december 2023- december 2024). forty-seven histologically confirmed eoc patients were included. clinicopathological data were extracted from medical records, and brca status was assessed via genetic testing. data were analyzed using spss software (version 26.0). p<0.05 was considered significant.results: brca mutations were identified in 25.5% (12/47) of patients. the brca-positive group compared to brca-negative cases exhibited significantly higher ca-125 levels (655.08±184.35 vs 381.54±165.54 u/ml; p<0.001), smaller primary tumors (13.69±5.01 vs 17.75±5.46 cm; p=0.028), and universal bilateral adnexal involvement (100% vs 51.4%; p=0.002). omental involvement (75% vs 40%; p=0.049) and weight loss (100% vs 71.4%; p=0.046) were more frequent in brca-positive patients. no significant differences were found between brca1 (n=9) and brca2 (n=3) subgroups in tumor size, ca-125, or metastatic patterns.conclusion: brca-mutated eoc demonstrates aggressive features (elevated ca-125, bilateral spread) despite smaller primary tumors, suggesting distinct biological behavior. early detection of brca mutations may aid in determining prognosis and guiding targeted treatment strategies.