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. 2018 Aug 24;2018(8):CD012464. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012464.pub2

Summary of findings for the main comparison. Risk‐reducing salpingo‐oophorectomy (RRSO) versus no RRSO in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers.

RRSO vs no RRSO in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers
Participants: women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers
Settings: hospitals in Europe and USA
Intervention: RRSO with or without risk‐reducing mastectomy
Comparison: no RRSO or surveillance
Outcomes Illustrative comparative risks* (95% CI) Relative effect
 (95% CI) No of participants
 (studies) Certainty of the evidence
 (GRADE) Comments
Assumed risk Corresponding risk
Control RRSO vs no RRSO in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers
Overall survival: BRCA1 or BRCA2
 Follow‐up: median 0.5–27.4 years Study population HR 0.32 
 (0.19 to 0.54) 2548
 (3 studies) ⊕⊝⊝⊝
 Very lowa As a result of the way HRs were calculated, assumed and corresponding risks were not estimated.
See comment See comment
Moderate
HGSC mortality: BRCA1 or BRCA2
 Follow‐up: median 0.5–27 years Study population HR 0.06 
 (0.02 to 0.17) 2534
 (3 studies) ⊕⊝⊝⊝
 Very lowa As a result of the way HRs were calculated, assumed and corresponding risks were not estimated.
See comment See comment
Moderate
Breast cancer mortality: BRCA1 or BRCA
 Follow‐up: median 0.5–27 years Study population HR 0.58 
 (0.39 to 0.88) 7198
 (7 studies) ⊕⊝⊝⊝
 Very lowa As a result of the way HRs were calculated, assumed and corresponding risks were not estimated.
See comment See comment
Moderate
Bone fracture incidence
 Follow‐up: median 0.5–27 years See comment See comment Not estimable 0
 (0) See comment No studies reported this outcome.
Quality of life (ovarian cancer risk perception): BRCA1 or BRCA2
 Follow‐up: mean 1 years See comment See comment Not estimable 200
 (1 study) ⊕⊝⊝⊝
 Very lowa Unable to perform meta‐analysis as only 1 study reported the outcome.
Quality of life (breast cancer risk perception): BRCA1 or BRCA2
 Follow‐up: mean 1 years See comment See comment Not estimable 200
 (1 study) ⊕⊝⊝⊝
 Very lowa Unable to perform meta‐analysis as only 1 study reported the outcome.
Severe adverse events
 Follow‐up: mean 1 years See comment See comment Not estimable 0
 (0) See comment No studies reported this outcome.
*The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. the median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI).
 BRCA1: breast cancer 1 gene; BRCA2: breast cancer 2 gene; CI: confidence interval; HGSC: high‐grade serous cancer; HR: hazard ratio; RRSO: risk‐reducing salpingo‐oophorectomy.
GRADE Working Group grades of evidence
 High‐certainty: further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect.
 Moderate‐certainty: further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate.
 low‐certainty: further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate.
 Very low‐certainty: we are very uncertain about the estimate.

aDowngraded by one level for serious risk of bias: there was overall moderate risk of bias (bias due to selection of participants into the study and bias due to missing data) in all the studies.