Role of Preventive Surgery for Women at High Risk of Breast and Ovarian Cancer Reviewed

In a review article published in the Feb. 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, a pair of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center researchers provide an in-depth look at the issues associated with the care of women in families with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome who have not yet developed cancer themselves. The article addresses optimal risk assessment for breast and ovarian cancers, the usefulness of risk-reducing surgery, side effects of these procedures, alternative strategies for cancer prevention and the best ways to help with the decision-making process.

“Women whose families have been marked by excess breast and ovarian cancer are at higher risk of developing those diseases over their lifetime,” says lead author and Mayo Clinic oncologist Lynn Hartmann, M.D. “Although these women can reduce their risk considerably through preventive mastectomies and or the removal of their fallopian tubes and ovaries, these procedures come with their own complications and psychosocial effects.”
In the article Dr. Hartmann and co-author, Noralane Lindor, M.D., a pathologist and genetics expert, argue for greater support for women grappling with complex and emotionally charged decisions, and more research to devise improved treatment approaches for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome.