These findings would support studies that suggest that male BRCA2 mutation carriers who develop PRCA may have a shorter disease-specific life expectancy than men with PRCA in the general population (Sigurdsson et al, 1997; Edwards et al, 1998, 2005; Tryggvadóttir et al, 2007). The gene discussed is BRCA2; the disease is pure red-cell aplasia.