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Early oophorectomy cuts risk of death in BRCA mutation carriers

New research published this week suggests that women with BRCA1 mutations should have a prophylactic oophorectomy by the age of 35 to lessen their risk of developing and dying from ovarian cancer. By contrast, the  study recommended that surgical intervention could be delayed until the 40s for BRCA2 mutation carriers. You can read the full study here and find additional news coverage here…

Study Shows BRCA1 Mutation Carriers Should Remove Ovaries by Age 35

The findings of a large international study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggest for the first time that women with BRCA1 mutations should have preventive ovarian surgery (prophylactic oophorectomy) by age 35. The report studied nearly 5,800 women with specific genetic mutations called BRCA1 and BRCA2. Researchers found that women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations who protectively had their ovaries removed reduced their risk of ovarian…

New Guidelines on Risk, Genetic Counseling & Testing for BRCA-related Cancer

(December 30, 2013)   The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) has issued a final recommendation statement on Risk Assessment, Genetic Counseling, and Genetic Testing for BRCA-related Cancer in Women. This final recommendation statement applies to women who have no signs or symptoms of a BRCA-related cancer (cancer of the breast, ovary, fallopian tube, or peritoneum)…

OCRF Research Sheds Light on Ovarian Cancer Origins in BRCA Mutation Carriers

A team of current and former OCRF grantees at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has developed genetically engineered mouse models of high-grade serous ovarian cancer that shed light on the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer for BRCA1/2 mutation carriers.  These models, which target the cell of origin (fallopian tube secretory cells) and recreate key genetic alterations and precursor lesions characteristic of the human disease…

New Clue in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations

A new study released in Lancet Oncology showed that abnormal levels of female hormones in the bloodstream may be why women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations are at a higher risk for breast and ovarian cancer and not other cancers.  UCL Department of Women's Cancer completed the study that found different levels of the female hormones oestradiol and progesterone in women with BRCA1 or BRCA2…

Supreme Court Strikes Down BRCA Gene Patents

In a unanimous ruling issued June 13, 2013, the US Supreme Court ruled that private companies do not have the right to patent human genes. In Association for Molecular Pathology et al. v. Myriad Genetics, the court considered the validity of patents held by the Utah-based company Myriad Genetics for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes…

Alliance Responds to Angelina Jolie's BRCA1 Announcement

Actress Angelina Jolie recently announced that she carries a mutation in the BRCA1 gene, which makes her more likely to develop breast and ovarian cancer. In the wake of that news, many media outlets reached out to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance for commentary and perspective. Our CEO, Calaneet Balas, wrote a letter to the New York Times praising Ms…

USPSTF Releases Draft Statement on Risk Assessment for BRCA-Related Cancer

On Tuesday, April 2, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released its draft recommendation statement on Risk Assessment, Genetic Counseling, and Genetic Testing for BRCA-Related Cancer. The USPSTF recommends that primary care providers screen women who have family members with breast or ovarian cancer with one of several screening tools designed to identify a family history that may be associated with an increased risk for potentially harmful mutations in breast cancer susceptibility genes (BRCA1 or BRCA2)…

No Long-Term Survival Benefit for BRCA Mutation Carriers

01/01/2013 Previous studies have suggested that BRCA mutation carriers with ovarian cancer have better survival rates than women who are not carriers.  Researchers in Canada and the US sought to investigate long-term survival (10 years post diagnosis) in BRCA mutation carriers.  Their results show that "for women with invasive ovarian cancer, the short-term survival advantage of carrying a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation does not lead to a long-term survival benefit."  The research was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute…

Unraveling the Initiation of Ovarian Cancer: The BRCA1-Heterozygous Mouse as a Model System

Women with an inherited mutation in the gene BRCA1 have a high-risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer (also called hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome). Many researchers are working to create new chemotherapy drugs for cancers that occur in this specific sub-group of patients; however, very little is known about how this inherited genetic mutation actually triggers ovarian cancer development…

New Study Clarifies BRCA Mutations in Ovarian Cancer, Encourages Testing

06/25/2012 Writing in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Australian researchers suggest because BRCA mutation status impacts survival and treatment response, all women with nonmucinous ovarian cancer, regardless of family history, should be offered BRCA1/2 mutation testing. Researchers from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in East Melbourne, Australia, screened 1,001 women with ovarian cancer to investigate the impact of germ-line BRCA1 and 2 mutations…