Breast cancer after ovarian cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant heterozygotes: Lower rates for 5 years post chemotherapy
For women who have had successful treatment of ovarian cancer it may seem logical to undergo risk reduction surgery to prevent breast cancer as a second primary disease, especially women who carry the BRCA mutation. This review suggests that such surgery may not be urgent due to associated benefits from current cancer therapy.
Retrospective analysis of the incidence of breast cancer after ovarian cancer was collected for women from the UK who had shown the presence of BRCA mutation and compared to a control group known to be BRCA positive but without ovarian cancer.
Results from the survey showed that in the 10- year period following diagnosis of ovarian cancer there is a lower likelihood of breast cancer, this is more for BRCA1 mutations that BRCA2. It is speculated that this reduction is a beneficial side effect of chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Those women who have early- stage ovarian cancer who do not receive chemo show no similar reduction of breast cancer risk.
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