The impact of prophylactic salpingo‐oophorectomy on quality of life and psychological distress in women with a BRCA mutation

AbstractObjectivesThe objective of this study was to measure the impact of prophylactic salpingo‐oophorectomy on health‐related quality of life and psychological distress in women.MethodsWomen who underwent prophylactic salpingo‐oophorectomy between August 20, 2003 and June 26, 2008 because of a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation were invited to participate. Participants completed three questionnaires (SF‐12® Health Survey, Brief Symptom Inventory and the Impact of Events Scale) before prophylactic surgery and again 1 year after surgery. Measures of health‐related quality of life, of general psychological distress and of ovarian cancer worry before and after surgery were compared.ResultsFew women who underwent salpingo‐oophorectomy experienced a worsening in physical or mental health functioning after salpingo‐oophorectomy. On average, women experienced less ovarian cancer‐specific worry after surgery; 34.3% experienced moderate to severe ovarian cancer‐specific distress before surgery, compared with 18.6% after surgery.ConclusionsFor most women, physical and mental health‐related quality of life did not deteriorate after prophylactic salpingo‐oophorectomy, and they were less worried about ovarian cancer. A subset of women continued to experience moderate to severe cancer‐specific distress. Identification of these women is important in order to provide continued counseling and support. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The impact of prophylactic salpingo‐oophorectomy on quality of life and psychological distress in women with a BRCA mutation Journal Articles