A new study published February 2 in JAMA Network Open provides the clearest evidence to date that opportunistic salpingectomy—the removal of the fallopian tubes during another gynecologic surgery—can dramatically reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.
Led by a B.C.-based international collaboration known as the Ovarian Cancer Observatory, the study found that people who underwent opportunistic salpingectomy were 78% less likely to develop serous ovarian cancer, the most common and lethal subtype of ovarian cancer, than those who had not had the surgery. In the rare cases that individuals developed ovarian cancer after an opportunistic salpingectomy, the cancers were less biologically aggressive.
This study clearly demonstrates that removing the fallopian tubes as an add-on during routine surgery can help prevent the most lethal type of ovarian cancer,” said Gillian Hanley, PhD, an OCRA Scientific Advisory Committee member and grantee, associate professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of British Columbia, and co-senior author of the study, in a University of British Columbia news release. “It shows how this relatively simple change in surgical practice can have a profound and life-saving impact.
The study was co-led by David Huntsman, MD, FRCPC, FCCMG, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and obstetrics and gynaecology at UBC and also an OCRA Scientific Advisory Committee member, and was funded in part by Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. Researchers analyzed population-based health data from more than 85,000 individuals in British Columbia and validated the findings using international pathology data.
OCRA has long supported evidence-based approaches to ovarian cancer prevention, and this OCRA-funded study adds important population-level evidence to the growing body of research supporting opportunistic salpingectomy,” said Audra Moran, President and CEO of Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. “Findings like these reinforce the critical role of prevention-focused approaches in reducing ovarian cancer risk.
In February 2023, OCRA led a broad education and awareness effort focused on ovarian cancer prevention, including the release of a consensus statement with the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, outlining evidence-based approaches to prevention and screening. This study adds important population-level evidence confirming the effectiveness of opportunistic salpingectomy and strengthening the case for broader implementation.
