Opportunistic salpingectomy to decrease the mortality from ovarian cancer: Can we expand the pool of eligible patients?

The focus on what anatomic site is most responsible for development of ovarian cancers has shifted specifically from the ovary to the fallopian tube. Nearly 2 decades ago, gynecologic pathologists first noticed the presence of early serous adenocarcinomas in the fallopian tubes of woman undergoing risk-reducing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for deleterious BRCA1/2 mutations, mutations that markedly increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer. Since that time, great attention has been paid to the fallopian tube as the origin of serous ovarian and pelvic carcinomas, and pathologic evaluation of the fallopian tube has evolved to extensive examination of the tubal fimbria.
Source: Surgery - Category: Surgery Authors: Source Type: research