Prospectively detected cancer in familial breast/ovarian cancer screening

Abstract

This is to our knowledge the first prospective report of the combined breast/ovarian cancer findings in breast/ovarian cancer kindreds. A woman with both breast and ovarian cancer is the hallmark of inherited breast/ovarian cancer, and 50% of the ovarian cancers were detected in these families. Borderline ovarian cancer may represent a manifestation of this syndrome. If prophylactic oophorectomy prevents ovarian cancer, oophorectomy at age 45 would have prevented 75% of such cancers. Based on these results we revised our protocol for annual follow-up in these kindreds: 1) clinical breast examination and mammography (ultrasound/cytology if indicated) from 30 years of age, 2) gynecologic examination (including vaginal ultrasound, serum-CA125) from 35 years of age, and 3) discuss oophorectomy at 45 years of age.