Remove the Fallopian Tube to Prevent Ovarian Cancer

Even if they are not at a greater risk of ovarian cancer, all women who have completed having children should think about having their fallopian tubes removed at the time of other planned pelvic surgery in order to reduce their risk of getting the deadly disease. Currently, doctors advise women with a high genetic risk of developing ovarian cancer to have their fallopian tubes and ovaries removed after having finished producing children.

The Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance is now advising all females—even those without a hereditary mutation—to have their fallopian tubes removed during an upcoming gynecologic procedure.  The removal of the fallopian tube has been found to significantly lower the chance of a subsequent diagnosis, and there is growing evidence that many types of ovarian malignancies begin in the tube.

The new guidance has replaced the previous emphasis on symptom awareness and early ovarian cancer identification by screening. It comes after a “sobering and deeply disappointing” study, according to the group, which showed that routine ovarian cancer screening using blood tests and ultrasound does not save lives. (This was the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening; it was published in the June 2021 issue of The Lancet). “We have an obligation to let people know that symptom awareness and early detection will not save lives,” but pre-emptive removal of the fallopian tubes “absolutely will,” Moran says.

According to Stephanie V. Blank, MD, president of the Society of Gynaecologic Oncology and director of gynecologic oncology for the Mount Sinai Health System in New York, this suggestion is “logical and makes sense.” And it’s not really new, she claims. The removal of the fallopian tubes may be “a suitable and viable” technique for lowering the risk of ovarian cancer, according to the Society of Gynaecologic Oncology a few years ago.

Based on the negative screening research, “it’s gaining new attention,” adds Blank. The advice, which is significant, is for females who have previously been scheduled for another pelvic procedure for a benign condition, like a hysterectomy for fibroids. The removal of the fallopian tubes as a stand-alone surgery is not currently advised.

Although there is still much to learn about this subject, gynecologic oncologist Deanna Gerber, MD, of NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center-Long Island advises women that “this low-risk surgery may reduce their risk of developing an ovarian or fallopian tube cancer.”

The Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance is urging women to understand their individual risk for ovarian cancer as part of its new marketing campaign. The organization has started a trial program wherein those with a personal or family history of breast, ovarian, uterine, or colorectal cancer can receive free at-home genetic testing kits.

According to the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer is the most fatal gynecological cancer in the country and ranks fifth in terms of cancer mortality among women. It might be challenging to identify ovarian cancer in its early stages because the symptoms are frequently modest. Bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and the need to urinate more frequently are common symptoms.

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