What is my risk of ovarian cancer if I have the BRCA gene mutation?

If you have the BRCA 1 or 2 gene mutation, your risk for ovarian cancer can be somewhere between 20-40 percent. Gynecologic oncologist Diljeet Singh, MD, explains this major risk factor and how it impacts prevention and treatment.

Transcript

00:00

Before you're done having children, we do do things like ultrasounds and blood tests called CA 125.

00:07

It's just that so far we haven't figured out the perfect schedule and we haven't figured out if they really help us pick up the cancer early enough.

00:15

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00:21

The risk of getting ovarian cancer if you carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 known bad actor mutation

00:28

is somewhere between 20 and 40%. We think it has that big range because it depends on specific things about the mutation, your family,

00:37

your own personal exposures and protective and risk factors. But regardless, even at the lower end of that range, 20%,

00:45

that's a really high risk. And because of that, we target people for pretty aggressive prevention if you

00:52

carry a BRCA1 or 2 mutation. So aggressive prevention is once you're done having children having your fallopian tubes

01:00

and ovaries removed. Before you're done having children, we do do things like ultrasounds and blood tests called CA 125.

01:09

It's just that so far we haven't figured out the perfect schedule and we haven't figured out if they really help us pick up the cancer early enough.

01:17

Lots of research is being done. And then we have the pill. Women who are still having kids in between kids