Salpingectomy as a Means to Reduce Ovarian Cancer Risk

PDF] Salpingectomy as a Means to Reduce Ovarian Cancer Risk

Cancer Prevention 2015

ABSTRACT
 
Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) has become the standard of care for risk
reduction in women at hereditary risk of ovarian cancer. While this procedure significantly
decreases both the incidence of and mortality from ovarian cancer, it impacts quality of life, and the premature cessation of ovarian function may have long term health hazards. Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular pathways of ovarian cancer point to the fallopian tube epithelium as the origin of most high grade serous cancers (HGSC). This evolving appreciation of the role of the fallopian tube in HGSC has led to the consideration of salpingectomy alone as an option for risk management, especially in premenopausal women. In addition, it is postulated that bilateral salpingectomy with ovarian retention (BSOR), may have a public health benefit for women undergoing benign gynecologic surgery. In this review we provide the rationale for salpingectomy as an ovarian cancer risk reduction strategy.