What do your fallopian tubes have to do with ovarian cancer risk?
Research has changed the way we understand ovarian cancer, including evidence that many high-grade serous ovarian cancers may actually begin in the fallopian tubes. That discovery has opened the door to an important question for people with hereditary ovarian cancer risk: could removing the fallopian tubes first allow some people to keep their ovaries longer?
In this episode of BRCA & Beyond’s Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month series, Marisa breaks down the “tubes first, ovaries later” approach, also known as salpingectomy with delayed oophorectomy, and why researchers are studying it in people with inherited genetic mutations that increase ovarian cancer risk.
Marisa also shares her own decision to have her fallopian tubes removed at 38 while keeping her ovaries, her experience participating in the WISP study, and the reality she is facing now as she approaches the recommended window for ovary removal with BRCA2.
We talk about what researchers know, what they are still trying to answer, the impact of surgical menopause, and why delaying ovary removal does not mean eliminating the decision altogether.
If you are navigating BRCA1, BRCA2, Lynch syndrome, or another hereditary cancer gene associated with increased ovarian cancer risk, this episode will help you better understand the conversation happening around fallopian tubes, ovaries, risk-reducing surgery, and the questions you may want to bring to your own medical team.
Trusted resources:
Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA)—Information on ovarian cancer, genetic risk, prevention, research, and patient support.
FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered — Information and support for people and families affected by hereditary cancer and inherited genetic mutations.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)—Evidence-based information on hereditary cancer, BRCA1/2, genetic testing, and ovarian cancer.
This podcast shares personal experiences and educational information and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Decisions about cancer risk reduction, genetic testing or surgery should always be discussed with your own qualified healthcare team.
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