Journal of the National Cancer Institute
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Sep 1999
Breast cancer risk after bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy in BRCA1 mutation carriers.
The availability of genetic testing for inherited mutations in the BRCA1 gene provides potentially valuable information to women at high risk of breast or ovarian cancer; however, carriers of BRCA1 mutations have few clinical management options to reduce their cancer risk. Decreases in ovarian hormone exposure following bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy (i.e., surgical removal of the ovaries) may alter cancer risk in BRCA1 mutation carriers. This study was undertaken to evaluate whether bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy is associated with a reduction in breast cancer risk in BRCA1 mutation carriers. ⋯ Bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy is associated with a reduced breast cancer risk in women who carry a BRCA1 mutation. The likely mechanism is reduction of ovarian hormone exposure. These findings have implications for the management of breast cancer risk in women who carry BRCA1 mutations.
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Sep 1999
Cancer prevalence and survivorship issues: analyses of the 1992 National Health Interview Survey.
Relatively little is known about the size and makeup of the growing population of cancer survivors or about the social implications of a diagnosis of cancer. To explore these issues, we analyzed cancer survivorship information from the 1992 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), and resulting cancer prevalence estimates were compared with those derived from cancer registry data. ⋯ While cancer appears to be underreported on the 1992 NHIS, the survey provides valuable information about the medical, insurance, and employment experience of cancer survivors selected from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households.