Risk of cardiovascular disease after preventive salpingo-oophorectomy

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology
• Oncology
• Gynecology

Background:

• Breast cancer susceptibility gene (BRCA) carriers often undergo preventive oophorectomy to reduce ovarian cancer risk.
• Premature loss of ovarian hormones post-oophorectomy may elevate cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• Young, healthy women undergoing preventive oophorectomy typically lack specialized cardiac surveillance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare cardiovascular disease risk in women after preventive oophorectomy with age-matched reference women.
• To assess cardiometabolic factors not typically included in standard CVD risk calculations.

Main Methods:

• Historical cohort study including 134 women post-preventive oophorectomy (age ≤52) and 268 reference women.
• Used the Norwegian risk assessment tool (NORRISK 2) to estimate 10-year CVD risk.
• Examined cardiometabolic factors: triglycerides, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, BMI, and waist circumference.

Main Results:

• Ten-year cardiovascular risk was similar between groups (1.15% vs 1.25%, p=0.4).
• Preventive oophorectomy group had lower BMI (24.7 vs 26.2 kg/m², p=0.003) and waist circumference (86 vs 89 cm, p=0.006).
• Cardiometabolic risks were not elevated in the preventive oophorectomy group.

Conclusions:

• Preventive oophorectomy in BRCA carriers does not increase cardiovascular disease risk compared to the general population.
• Cardiometabolic risk factors are not adversely affected by early oophorectomy in this young, healthy cohort.