Risk-Reducing Surgery in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers: Extending the Benefits

Women who carry deleterious mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 are at excess risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) can lower risk for breast cancer, and risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) — especially when performed in premenopausal women — can lower risk for both breast and ovarian cancer. To assess in more detail the efficacy of risk-reducing surgery, investigators prospectively evaluated risk for breast and ovarian cancer as well as cancer-specific and overall mortality in 2482 women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations who were seen at 22 centers in Europe and North America.

At median follow-up of 3 to 6 years, women who underwent RRM had significantly lower risk for breast cancer and women who underwent RRSO had s…