{"id":2067,"date":"2014-02-15T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-15T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/?p=1067"},"modified":"2014-02-15T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-02-15T09:00:00","slug":"ovary-removal-brca-genes-ovarian-cancer-ovarian-surgery-portsmouth-eastern-shore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/ovary-removal-brca-genes-ovarian-cancer-ovarian-surgery-portsmouth-eastern-shore\/","title":{"rendered":"Ovary Removal Aids High-Risk Women but at What Age"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Gynecology Specialists note: We thought you might be interested in an Associated Press report by medical writer Lauran Neergaard on preventive ovary removal for women who carry BRCA gene mutations. Here is a summary of the reporting. If you have any questions about ovary removal, BRCA genes, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or ovarian surgery, please contact our GYN Office at (757) 312-8221.<\/em><\/p>\n

What the study found<\/h3>\n

The AP covered the largest study yet on the protective power of preventive ovarian surgery (oophorectomy) for women who inherit a faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene — women who face a much higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and at younger ages, than other women. Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and involving nearly 5,800 BRCA carriers from Canada, the U.S. and Europe, the study found that ovary removal reduced cancer risk by 80 percent and was estimated to cut a carrier’s risk of death before age 70 by 77 percent.<\/p>\n

Because ovarian cancer is particularly deadly and has no good early-detection test, doctors have long advised BRCA carriers to have their ovaries removed between ages 35 and 40, or when they are finished having children. The new research suggested the timing should differ by gene: for higher-risk BRCA1 carriers, the chance of already having ovarian cancer rose from 1.5 percent at age 35 to 4 percent at 40 and 14 percent by 50, leading the lead researcher to recommend surgery around age 35 as a standard consideration. BRCA2 carriers, by contrast, could safely delay surgery into their 40s.<\/p>\n

Other specialists quoted in the piece urged a more individualized view, noting that many women have babies in their late 30s and that ovary removal triggers early menopause, which can raise later risks of osteoporosis and heart disease. As one expert put it, 35 isn’t necessarily a magic number — but for BRCA1 carriers, the conversation should not be put off past 40. The surgery also reduces breast cancer risk by affecting hormone levels in the body.<\/p>\n

Our takeaway for patients<\/h3>\n

If you have a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer, talk to your GYN doctor about genetic counseling and testing. If you are a BRCA carrier, the timing of risk-reducing surgery is a deeply personal decision that should weigh your family plans, your age, your specific gene, and the effects of early menopause — and we are here to walk through it with you.<\/p>\n

If you have questions about ovary removal, BRCA genes, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or ovarian surgery, please contact our GYN Office at (757) 312-8221. Our GYN doctors can help you.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Gynecology Specialists note: We thought you might be interested in an Associated Press report by medical writer Lauran Neergaard on preventive ovary removal for women who carry BRCA gene mutations. Here is a summary of the reporting. If you have any questions about ovary removal, BRCA genes, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or ovarian surgery, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2067\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ricardovidallon.com\/gyn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}