Fallopian tube removal can reduce a patient’s risk of developing ovarian cancer by nearly 80 percent, according to data published February 2 in JAMA Network Open.
Why Fallopian Tube Removal Lowers Ovarian Cancer Risk
Nearly all fatal ovarian cancer tumors do not originate in the ovaries themselves. Instead, researchers have found that microscopic specks of cancer cells start inside the fallopian tubes. These cells eventually spill over onto the ovary, where they spread and grow.
Because these initial cancer cells are microscopic, they do not show up on imaging, making early diagnosis unlikely. Removing the fallopian tubes intercepts these cells before they reach the ovaries. The five-minute procedure can be performed during most abdominal surgeries.
“How do you take a critical discovery, one of the most critical discoveries in my lifetime, and move it to standard of care?” Rebecca Stone, MD, director of the Kelly Gynecologic Oncology Service at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, told The New York Times.
Major Health Organizations Push for Clinical Practice Changes
Medical societies are actively working to bridge the gap between recent research and everyday operating room practices. The American Cancer Society, the American College of Surgeons, and the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology now encourage physicians to offer fallopian tube removal during other abdominal surgeries.
To accelerate this transition, the American Cancer Society is developing a national campaign to inform patients and providers about the preventative power of the surgery. The organization has partnered with Break Through Cancer and researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and Johns Hopkins Medicine. Together, these groups are studying offering patients a chance to learn about fallopian tube removal prior to certain abdominal surgeries.
Did You Know?
Fallopian tube removal is a five-minute procedure that can be performed during most abdominal surgeries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is opportunistic salpingectomy?
The sources do not provide a definition for opportunistic salpingectomy.
Does removing the fallopian tubes cause early menopause?
The sources do not provide information regarding menopause.
Why don’t standard screenings catch ovarian cancer early?
According to research highlighted by The New York Times, fatal ovarian tumors originate as microscopic cells in the fallopian tubes that do not show up on imaging.
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