Women diagnosed with breast cancer who carry particular BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic variants are offered surgery to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes as this dramatically reduces their risk of ovarian cancer.

Women diagnosed with breast cancer who carry particular BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic variants are offered surgery to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes as this dramatically reduces their risk of ovarian cancer. Now, researchers have shown that this procedure -- known as bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) -- is associated with a substantial reduction in the risk of early death among these women, without any serious side-effects.