This prospective international cohort study estimated residual lifetime ovarian cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers (ages 30–74) by current age and projected timing of bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO), using life table analysis across 24 centers with data collected from 1995–2024.
Lifetime ovarian cancer risk was 55.0% (95% CI, 48.8–61.9) for BRCA1 carriers and 24.1% (95% CI, 15.1–36.6) for BRCA2 carriers; a 30-year-old BRCA1 carrier delaying BSO to age 50 retained a 23.9% residual risk, and even at age 75 the residual risk remained 8.4% for BRCA1 and 3.7% for BRCA2 carriers.
Full text was not available for review—only abstract data; mean follow-up was relatively short at 4.4 years, which may limit precision of risk estimates, especially at older ages. Confidence intervals at age 75 are very wide (e.g., 1.7–22.7% for BRCA1), reflecting limited data in older carriers.
Even older BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers retain meaningful residual ovarian cancer risk, so BSO should remain on the table for women in good health well beyond standard recommended ages. BRCA1 carriers who defer BSO to age 50 should be counseled that their residual risk (~24%) remains substantial.
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