Women With Faulty BRCA Gene Should Get Ovaries Removed by 35 Years: Study

The chance of getting ovarian cancer decreased by 80 per cent for women with BRCA gene mutation if they decide to get their ovaries removed by 35 years, claims a study. The Canadian authors of the study said till now the guidelines quoted that these women could decide by 40 years, but now according to the new study, women under the high-risk category should take the decision about ovarian removal or oophorectomy by age 35 as after this the risk only increases.

Faulty BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are responsible for about 5 per cent to 10 per cent of all breast cancers and about 15 per cent of ovarian cancers.

The study, published in Journal of Clinical Oncology, revealed that women who decide to opt for the surgery after 35 years increase their risk of developing ovarian cancer five times and for them even the risk of death increases four times.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are called breast cancer genes. And to be on the safe side, women with a mutation in one or both often prefer to get their breasts removed.

Mutations in these genes also up the chance of ovarian cancer for which women go for removal of ovaries. This step leads to menopause after which a woman cannot conceive.

Women with faulty genes are advised to go for regular cancer screenings. Dr Steven Narod of the University of Toronto in Canada, who led the study, told NBC, “These data are so striking that we believe prophylactic oophorectomy by age 35 should become a universal standard for women with BRCA1 mutations.”

Source-Medindia