Canadian surgical innovation: Opportunistic salpingectomy reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by almost 80%

Research from the University of British Columbia shows that opportunistic salpingectomy, a procedure that involves the removal of the fallopian tubes during routine gynecological surgeries, reduces the risk of serous ovarian cancer by nearly 80%.

The study published in JAMA Network Open analyzes data from over 85,000 women and confirms that women who underwent this procedure had a 78% lower risk of developing ovarian cancer. The procedure, introduced in 2010 in British Columbia, keeps the ovaries intact, thus maintaining hormone production and limiting side effects. Additionally, tumors that appeared after salpingectomy were less aggressive. Salpingectomy has been widely adopted in Canada, and international organizations recommend this strategy for ovarian cancer prevention. Expanding this intervention could significantly reduce the number of ovarian cancer cases worldwide.