OBJECTIVE

Women with a BRCA1/2 mutation or members of a hereditary breast ovarian cancer family (HBOC) have an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. The only effective strategy to reduce this risk is a risk reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO). The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term surgical outcome and safety of a RRSO.

PATIENT AND METHODS

Included were all consecutive women with a BRCA1/2 mutation or members of a HBOC family who visited our Family Cancer Clinic between September 1995 and March 2006, and choose for RRSO.

RESULTS

159 women were included, of which 97 (61.0%) BRCA1 and 32 (20.1%) BRCA2 mutation carriers, and 30 women of a HBOC family (18.9%). The median age at RRSO was 42.9 years (30.3-61.1) in the BRCA1 group, 48.4 years (33.5-66.9) in the BRCA 2 group and 46.4 (32.8-68.7) years in the HBOC group (p=0.02). The median body mass index (BMI) was 24.9 kg/m(2), 30.1% were overweighed (BMI 25-30) and 18.7% were obese (BMI>30). The RRSO was performed by primary laparoscopy (n=154) or laparotomy (n=5). Intraoperatively, one (0.6%) major complication occurred and laparoscopy was converted to laparotomy. In one patient (0.6%) a minor complication occurred. Post-operatively five minor complications (3.1%) were observed. Median hospital stay was 1 day (0-13 days).

CONCLUSION

Laparoscopic RRSO in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers seems to be a safe procedure with a low intraoperative and post-operative complication rate (1.3% and 3.1% respectively), a low conversion rate (0.6%) and a short median hospital stay (1.0 day).