Some women should remove ovaries to prevent cancer and death, says Canadian study

Ever since Angelina Jolie went public about having a BRCA1 gene mutation that makes her susceptible to both ovarian and breast cancer the world has learned a little more about the dangers of both cancers for women like her.

This past May, Jolie opted to have her ovaries and breasts removed in order to decrease her chances of succumbing to the disease.

And now, a new Canadian study suggests she made a very wise choice.

The study recommends that women who carry either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene remove their ovaries to significantly reduce their chance of developing ovarian cancer.

Also see: One in five women with ovarian cancer has genetic mutation

Researchers from Women’s College Hospital discovered that women with either gene mutation who underwent ovary-removal surgery cut their risk of death by 77 per cent compared to those who did not have the surgery.

“The size of the reduction was much larger than we expected. We saw a 77 per cent reduction of dying of any cause… I was expecting to see more like 30 per cent,” lead author Dr. Steven Narod tells CTV News.

Ovarian cancer is known as a silent but deadly disease. Because it is largely asymptomatic, by the time many women are diagnosed, it is has often spread to advanced stages. The disease affect approximately 2,600 Canadian women every year with approximately 1,750 of these women succumbing to the disease.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, is the largest of its kind to date. It tracked nearly 5,800 women around the world who had either one of the BRCA gene mutations and followed them for approximately 5.6 years.

Also see: Confronting the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes

Based on the study findings the researchers recommend women with an inherited BRCA1 mutation should consider having ovary-removal surgery by age 35. Women with BRAC2 can delay the surgery until their 40s, as their risk for developing ovarian cancer is not as high.

"I hope the proportion of women who have this mutation who get an oophorectomy (ovary removal) will go to 100 per cent," Narod tells the Toronto Star. "Starting next week, I think women are going to start booking appointments.”

He notes that one of the biggest challenges is identifying the women who carry the gene mutation. The mutation occurs in about 1 in 400 women, but most women don't know they have it by age 35.

“Probably only one in 20 women in Ontario with a BRCA mutation knows it at age 35, so our biggest challenge… is how do we get that information out,” he says.

There are tests that women can undergo that identify the gene.