Study: Surgeries improve survival in young BRCA-positive breast cancer patients

Editor's Note

Preliminary research shows removing breasts or ovaries can significantly improve survival and reduce recurrence risk in young breast cancer patients with BRCA mutations, HealthDay reported December 13. The findings were presented this week at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

According to the article, researchers analyzed data from nearly 5,300 women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 or younger between 2000 and 2020, across 109 hospitals worldwide. Among these, approximately 3,900 patients underwent at least one risk-reducing surgery, including more than 1,800 who had both breast and ovary removal.

Breast removal reduced the risk of death by 35% and recurrence by 42%, the outlet reports, while ovary removal reduced the risk of death by 42% and recurrence by 32%. Women with BRCA1 mutations showed greater benefits, with a 56% reduction in death risk, compared to 15% for those with BRCA2 mutations.

According to the article, this research provides the first evidence that such surgeries improve survival outcomes for young BRCA-mutation carriers with early-onset breast cancer. While these procedures are already known to reduce cancer risk in unaffected BRCA carriers, this study extends their utility to patients with prior diagnoses.