Strategies for Ovarian Cancer Prevention

Women who have documented BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations have a significantly increased lifetime risk of ovarian and breast malignancies. Many women, however, have a perceived personal risk of ovarian cancer despite a calculated low risk, and some seek ways to reduce the risk for ovarian cancer. Given the low prevalence of ovarian cancer in the general population, no screening test has achieved satisfactory levels of disease prediction. This article discusses the efficacy of available screening modalities and reviews current risk-reduction strategies and their effectiveness for preventing ovarian cancer.