New research shows that a surgical procedure developed in British Columbia dramatically reduces rates of the most lethal gynaecological cancer.
The prevention strategy developed by researchers reduces the risk of the most common and deadly form of ovarian cancer by nearly 80%.
This is according to a new UBC study published in JAMA Network Open.
The strategy, opportunistic salpingectomy (OS), involves proactively removing fallopian tubes during routine gynaecological surgery, such as hysterectomy or tubal ligation.
Dr Gillian Hanley, co-senior author and associate professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at UBC, said: ‘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. It shows how this relatively simple change in surgical practice can have a profound and life-saving impact.’
The OS approach was initially developed by Dr Dianne Miller, an associate professor emerita at UBC and a gynaecologic oncologist with Vancouver Coastal Health and BC Cancer.
She co-founded B.C.’s multidisciplinary ovarian cancer research team, OVCARE, which has since become the Gynaecologic Cancer Initiative.
‘If there is one thing better than curing cancer, it’s never getting the cancer in the first place,’ said Dr Miller.
The new study is the first to quantify how much OS reduces the risk of serous ovarian cancer. It builds on previous research demonstrating that OS is safe, does not reduce the age at which menopause occurs, and is cost-effective for health systems.
The study analysed population-based health data for more than 85,000 people who underwent gynaecological surgeries in B.C. between 2008 and 2020.
The researchers compared rates of serous ovarian cancer between those who had OS and those who had similar surgeries but did not undergo OS.
Overall, people who had OS were 78% less likely to develop serous ovarian cancer.
In the rare cases where ovarian cancer occurred after OS, those cancers were found to be less biologically aggressive.
The findings were validated by data from pathology laboratories worldwide, which suggested a similar effect.
Since its introduction in B.C. in 2010, OS has been widely adopted, with approximately 80% of hysterectomies and tubal ligation procedures in the province now including removal of the fallopian tubes.
Globally, professional medical organisations in 24 countries now recommend OS as an ovarian cancer prevention strategy.
