Ellen T. Matloff on Prophylactic Treatment for BRCA Carriers

Ellen T. Matloff, MS, CGC, director, Yale Cancer Genetic Counseling Program at the Yale School of Medicine/Yale Cancer Center, discusses prophylactic treatment options outside of oophorectomy for BRCA1/2 carriers.

In BRCA1/2 carriers and the general population, the use of birth control pills greatly reduces the risk of ovarian cancer, though there are some contraindications, Matloff says.

Research on the horizon has suggested that many ovarian cancers actually start in the fallopian tubes. There is no definitive data to support this claim, Matloff says, and research is being done to determine whether removing the fallopian tubes can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.

Matloff hypothesizes that it may be beneficial to remove fallopian tubes by age 30 and remove ovaries later on, as a salvage procedure, in BRCA carriers.