For carriers of mutations in genes associated with
high penetrance cancer syndromes, such as MEN ,
FAP, HN PCC and HD GC (see Box 1), prophylactic
surgery epitomises the primary approach to cancer
prevention (Guillem et al 2008). This concept is
perhaps best known in the scenario of breast cancer,
where women who have a deleterious BRCA gene
mutation may be offered a prophylactic mastectomy
(Weitzel et al 2003