British Journal of Cancer · 9 authors, 8 centres
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This systematic review summarizes current UK guidelines for risk-reducing surgical interventions in healthy individuals with germline pathogenic variants. It finds a significant disparity in the availability and development of national guidelines across different cancer types.
This systematic review examined UK guidelines for risk-reducing surgery in healthy individuals with germline pathogenic variants. The authors conducted an electronic search of NICE guidelines and PubMed articles. The review found that comprehensive national guidelines exist primarily for breast cancer (bilateral mastectomy). Guidelines for other interventions like salpingo-oophorectomy are in development, while guidance for procedures like gastrectomy and thyroidectomy relies on specialist society recommendations or journal articles. The central result is a clear inconsistency in guideline availability across tumour types, with surgical management guidance not keeping pace with advances in genomic testing. The implications suggest a need for closer alignment between the development of guidelines for genetic testing and for associated surgical interventions.
