Dr. Ginsburg on Genetic Testing in Ovarian Cancer Families

Ophira M. Ginsburg, MSc, MD, FRCPC, director of the High-Risk Cancer Program, Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses the importance of genetic testing in ovarian cancer families.

In cases of ovarian cancer families that test negative for BRCA 1/2 mutations, practitioners are beginning to offer multi-gene panel testing, which includes Lynch syndrome genes and others associated with hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer that be detected in other gynecologic cancers, including ovarian cancer and uterine cancer, Ginsburg explains.

If a Lynch syndrome gene is detected in families with colon cancer, then women should be counseled for predictive testing. Options for risk reduction should include hysterectomy as well as bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, Ginsburg concludes.