Dr. Markman on Timing of BSO in Patients With Ovarian Cancer

Maurie Markman, MD, president, Medicine and Science, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, editor-in-chief, OncologyLive, discusses when patients with ovarian cancer, or at an increased risk for the disease, should undergo a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO).

There is less definitive data on when it is appropriate for patients to undergo a BSO, Markman explains, though the likely age range is between 35 and 45 years old. It may be more fitting to have the procedure at a later age due to side effects associated with BSO, such as surgical menopause, heart disease, osteoporosis, and psychosocial issues.

Additionally, there is increasing evidence that patients with BRCA1/2 mutations will have a very different lifetime risk of ovarian cancer, Markman adds.