Does bilateral salpingectomy with ovarian retention warrant consideration as a temporary bridge to risk-reducing bilateral oophorectomy in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers

Risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) is the most definitive surgical intervention for ovarian cancer risk reduction among BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. For women who have completed child-bearing but who are not ready for RRSO, bilateral salpingectomy with ovarian retention (BSOR) might serve as a temporary measure while definitive risk-reducing surgery is being contemplated. Here we summarize recent insights into the pathogenesis of hereditary ovarian cancer which might provide a basis for considering the proposed BSOR management strategy and outline the evidence for and against this potential risk-reducing intervention. Based on the evidence presented, we suggest that there may be sufficient merit in this proposed intervention to consider evaluating it formally, perhaps through an intergroup-based clinical trial. In the meanwhile, we believe that BSOR should be considered an investigational risk management option of unproven clinical utility, particularly since delay in bilateral oophorectomy could theoretically reduce the protective effect against breast cancer that has been documented in women undergoing RRSO. Keywords bilateral oophorectomy; bilateral salpingectomy; BRCA1/2 mutation carriers; ovarian cancer risk; risk-reducing surger