Preventing Ovarian Cancer in High-risk Women: One Surgery at a Time

Eleven genes have been identified that increase the lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer. The cumulative cancer risk of ovarian cancer varies with the mutation type and age. Ovarian cancer risk management options include surgical risk reduction with salpingo-oophorectomy and a newer step-wise approach with interval salpingectomy and delayed oophorectomy. Women should be counseled on the pros and cons of hysterectomy in the setting of reducing the risk of other cancers; eliminating the risk of endometrial cancer in Lynch Syndrome, potential risk of serous/serous-like endometrial cancer in BRCA1 carriers, and elimination of progestogen therapy that may increase breast cancer risk.