Occult cancer of the fallopian tube in a BRCA2 germline mutation carrier at prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy.

BACKGROUND

Women with a germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation have a significantly increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women in the general population and may consider bilateral prophylactic oophorectomy as a risk-reducing option.

CASE: We report a case of occult fallopian tube cancer diagnosed at prophylactic surgery in a patient with a BRCA2 mutation.

CONCLUSIONS

This report acts as a reminder of the importance of removing as much of the fallopian tube as possible during prophylactic surgery in BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers and of the need for careful pathological examination of surgical specimens after surgery.