Ovary removal is linked to lower breast cancer mortality in BRCA1 carriers

Removal of the ovaries is associated with a 62% reduction in breast cancer deaths among women with diagnosed breast cancer who carry the BRCA1 mutation, a retrospective analysis published in JAMA Oncology has found.1

Women who carry a mutation in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene have a lifetime risk of breast cancer of up to 70%, and once they have a diagnosis of breast cancer they face high risks of second primary breast and ovarian cancers. Preventive oophorectomy is recommended to women aged over 35 with a BRCA mutation to prevent breast and ovarian cancer, …