Women with BRCA1 genetic mutations should have preventive ovarian surgery by age 35- known as prophylactic oophorectomy – by age 35, as waiting appears to increase the risk of ovarian cancer, reports [s]CNN[/s]. In contrast, women with BRCA2 mutations can safely delay surgery until their 40s, the study suggests, as their risk of ovarian cancer is not as strong. The study, in the [s]Journal of Clinical Oncology[/s], studied nearly 5,800 women with specific genetic mutations BRCA1 and BRCA2. Researchers found that women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations who protectively had their ovaries removed reduced their risk of ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer by 80%, and their overall risk of death by 77%.
[link url=http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/25/health/brca-study]Full CNN report[/link]
[link url=http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/31/4/433.full?sid=fd78b949-3201-4a98-ae02-0d399ff0183b]Journal of Clinical Oncology: Full Study Online[/link]
[link url=http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/31/4/433/suppl/DC1]Journal of Clinical Oncology: Podcast[/link]
Women with BRCA1 mutations should remove ovaries by 35
