Two-Step Surgical Approach to Ovarian Cancer Prevention: Survey of Premenopausal Women
Posted: Friday, September 4, 2020
According to survey results from more than 600 women in the United Kingdom presented in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, a large majority of premenopausal women at increased risk of ovarian cancer were interested in a new two-pronged surgical approach—risk‐reducing early salpingectomy and delayed oophorectomy. Some risk reduction is offered with salpingectomy, and removal of the ovaries is delayed until menopause. According to Ranjit Manchanda, PhD, of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine at the Queen Mary University of London, and colleagues, although many patients are satisfied with standard risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy, regret rates tend to be higher for premenopausal than postmenopausal women.
“The new two-step operation offers additional options for women (who may have not undergone surgical prevention) to reduce their ovarian cancer risk while avoiding the negative impact of early menopause. Our study shows a large proportion of eligible women wish to consider this,” commented Dr. Manchada in a Queen Mary press release.
In this study, 683 women were asked to complete a 39-item questionnaire. The participants were selected from six National Health System familiar cancer or genetic clinics and from a patient support group for BRCA carriers.
Of the participants, 346 underwent risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy procedures. There were 262 premenopausal women who had not undergone risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy, of whom 181 (69%) found it acceptable to participate in a research study offering risk‐reducing early salpingectomy and delayed oophorectomy. Premenopausal women who were concerned about sexual dysfunction also were most likely to find risk‐reducing early salpingectomy and delayed oophorectomy acceptable. In all, 88.8% of premenopausal and 95.2% of postmenopausal women who underwent risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy were satisfied with their decision afterward.
Disclosure: For full disclosure of the study authors, visit wiley.com.
