Family history of ovarian cancer is a strong risk factor for the disease. We observed that ovarian cancer risk is highest among women whose family members have specific types of ovarian cancer. We also described how,  as preventative surgery became more routinely recommended over time for women with an increased risk of ovarian cancer due to an inherited variant in BRCA1/2, familial risk of ovarian cancer decreased among first-degree relatives (i.e., mothers and sisters), but not second- or third-degree relatives. Genetic counseling and subsequent risk-reducing surgery should be considered for the second- and third-degree relatives of women with ovarian cancer. (By Dr. Mollie Barnard, https://jmg.bmj.com/content/early/2022/05/08/jmedgenet-2021-108402 )

Ovarian cancer risk among family members has changed over time in a way that is consistent with how recommendations for risk-reducing surgery have changed over time.