Fallopian tube cancer, also known as tubal cancer, develops in the fallopian tubes, which are one of two long, slender tubes that connect the ovaries and the uterus. The cancer sometimes begins at the end of the fallopian tube near the ovary and spreads to the ovary. Fallopian tube cancer is similar to ovarian epithelial cancer.
The two main types of fallopian tube cancer are serous adenocarcinomas and endometrioid adenocarcinomas. These are the cancers that start in the lining of the fallopian tubes. More rare types of fallopian tube cancer include leiomyosarcomas, which form in the smooth muscle of the tube, and transitional cell, which form in other cells inside the tube.
Treatment Options for Fallopian Tube Cancer
- Hysterectomy is a procedure in which the fallopian tubes and ovaries are removed along with the uterus and cervix. The common approach to this surgery — total abdominal hysterectomy — can be done by traditional means or through a minimally invasive strategy. It is also referred to as a total hysterectomy bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy or TH/BSO.
- Minimally invasive laparoscopy can be used to remove the fallopian tubes and other tissues through the vagina using very small incisions in the abdomen. Our surgeon uses a laparoscope — a thin, lighted tube with a video camera at its tip — which projects an image onto a large viewing screen.
- Debulking surgery is a procedure in which a laparotomy — a surgical incision in the abdominal wall — is performed to remove as much of the tumor as possible.
• Unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is a surgical procedure to remove one ovary and one fallopian tube.
• Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is a surgical procedure to remove both ovaries and both fallopian tubes.