Removal Of Ovaries, Fallopian Tubes Reduces Chance Of Cancer In High-Risk Groups, Study Finds

Women with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations who undergo surgery to remove their ovaries and fallopian tubes reduce their risk of ovarian or fallopian cancer by 80% and their risk of breast cancer by 50%, according to a study from University of Pennsylvania researchers, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Reuters reports. Researchers analyzed data from 10 previously published studies on women with BRCA mutations who underwent surgical removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes, known as a salpingo-oophorectomy. The study found that while the surgery greatly reduced the risk of developing cancers of the removed organs, it did not eliminate the risk entirely, possibly because small remnants of tissue had been left behind.

Timothy Rebbeck, one of the study's authors, said, "It only takes a few cells to result in an ovarian cancer." He added that although an 80% decrease "is a huge amount of risk reduction, it's still not 100%." According to Rebbeck, earlier studies had suggested that the surgery reduced the risk of ovarian and fallopian cancers by 95% to 100% (Steenhuysen, Reuters, 1/13).

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the analysis highlights the fact that ovarian cancer detection and prevention strategies have not improved in the 14 years since testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 became available. There is no early detection method for ovarian cancer, and no preventive drug has been approved. "You need to have your ovaries out," Rebbeck said. According to the Inquirer, expert guidelines recommend that women with strong hereditary predispositions have the surgery by age 35, or as soon as they finish having children. Other studies have suggested that as many as 10% of women who have their ovaries and fallopian tubes removed already have microscopic amounts of cancer, which can become malignant after the surgery. "That's very discouraging because it suggests the window for prevention is short," Rebbeck said, adding, "The timing of surgery is still a huge question" (McCullough, Philadelphia Inquirer, 1/14).


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