Prophylactic surgery and preventive chemotherapy (chemoprevention)

To prevent disease, in addition to early detection, prophylactic measures can also be suggested including surgery to remove breasts, ovaries, uterus or/and fallopian tubes.

These options reduce the risk of cancer in the future substantially, but they can also have a negative impact on the woman’s lifestyle and self-image. 

For this reason, any surgical prophylactic measure must be solely and exclusively the patient’s decision. 

It is essential that you talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of the different options so that you can make a fully informed decision.

Prevention of the disease can also involve chemical treatments. The approach, called chemoprevention, is used on people with high risk of developing cancer. This includes individuals with inherited cancer syndromes or a family history of cancer, but also survivors of the disease (to lower their risk of new tumors).

Examples of chemoprevention:

Drugs such as Tamoxifen (Nolvadex, Soltamox) and raloxifene (Evista) can reduce breast cancer risk, in particular, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers. This type of tumors depends on the hormone estrogen to grow and both tamoxifen and raloxifene block estrogen effects.

Tamoxifen is also used to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and that of women who have gone through menopause.

Talk with your doctor about the recommendations for women with BRCA mutations , and learn more about which women should be followed at the risk consultation.