Removing a woman's fallopian tubes prophylactically during routine gynaecologic surgeries such as hysterectomy or tubal ligation can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by nearly 80 per cent, Canadian researchers reported in JAMA Network Open. This approach is known as opportunistic salpingectomy (OS).
According to the World Cancer Research Fund, ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer among women worldwide. In 2022, India reported the second-highest number of ovarian cancer cases and the highest number of deaths from the disease.
Without reliable screening tests, most ovarian cancers are diagnosed at advanced stages, and five-year survival rates remain below 50 per cent. For the study, researchers analysed data from 85,823 patients who underwent hysterectomy or tubal ligation. They compared rates of serous ovarian cancer between women who had OS and those who had similar surgeries without the add-on procedure. About half of the women underwent OS.
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Overall, women who had their fallopian tubes removed were 78 per cent less likely to develop serous ovarian cancer. In the rare cases that did occur, the cancers were generally 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 the co-senior researcher. “It shows how this relatively simple change in surgical practice can have a profound and life-saving impact.”
