Recommendations for prevention of ovarian cancer include oral contraceptive use and tubal sterilization, as well as genetic counseling and testing for women from high-risk families, according to a report from the Society of Gynecologic Oncology published in Cancer.
Based on new understanding of the cells of origin and the molecular etiology of ovarian cancer, Joan L. Walker, M.D., from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, and colleagues discuss potential prevention strategies for ovarian cancer.
The researchers recommend oral contraceptive use and tubal sterilization as prevention strategies.
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In addition, they recommend risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy in women at high hereditary risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and genetic counseling and testing for women with ovarian cancer and other high-risk family members.
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Salpingectomy should be considered after childbearing is complete, at the time of elective pelvic surgeries, at the time of hysterectomy, and as an alternative to tubal ligation.
“In conclusion, all women deserve to receive the information needed to allow them to make decisions that they believe are in their best interest. This is especially challenging for women at increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer,” the authors write.
“This document is intended to help facilitate an open dialogue between health care providers and their patients.”
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