B.C. surgical innovation can dramatically reduce ovarian cancer risk

A new B.C.-led surgical innovation could cut the risk of ovarian cancer significantly.

New research shows a surgical innovation developed in British Columbia dramatically reduces the risk of ovarian cancer, according to a new study that researchers say offers hope against one of the deadliest cancers affecting women.

The study, led by the B.C.-based Ovarian Cancer Observatory, found that opportunistic salpingectomy (OS) — a procedure that removes the fallopian tubes while leaving the ovaries intact — reduces the risk of developing ovarian cancer by nearly 80 per cent.

“We are all actually quite astounded,” said David Huntsman, a professor in the departments of pathology, obstetrics and gynecology at the University of British Columbia.

Opportunistic salpingectomy is typically performed during other abdominal or pelvic surgeries. The technique was first introduced in B.C. more than a decade ago after researchers discovered that many ovarian cancers actually begin in the fallopian tubes.

Researchers reviewed more than 85,000 surgical records in B.C. spanning over a decade and found that people who underwent OS were far less likely to develop the most lethal form of ovarian cancer.

“Preventing it from happening in the first place saves lives,” Huntsman said.

“By removing the fallopian tubes and leaving the ovaries behind, we get this cancer reduction benefit.”

Dr. Gillian Hanley, an associate professor in UBC’s department of obstetrics and gynecology, said the findings could mark a turning point in ovarian cancer prevention.

“This research is important because it will save women’s lives,” Hanley told CTV News.

Ovarian cancer remains difficult to detect early, and survival rates have remained largely unchanged for decades, Hanley explained.

“Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of death in women,” Hanley said. “Unfortunately, we have no effective way to screen for ovarian cancer.”

Data from UBC shows ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological cancer. Approximately 3,100 Canadians are diagnosed each year, and about 2,000 die annually from the disease.

Hanley said opportunistic salpingectomy is a permanent form of contraception and emphasized that access to the procedure depends on surgical opportunity.

“The ability to have the procedure is entirely based around having another surgical opportunity to remove the fallopian tubes and to reduce ovarian cancer risk.”

Both Huntsman and Hanley described the findings as a new source of hope in the fight against ovarian cancer — one that focuses on prevention rather than early detection.

Survival rates, Hanley noted, “have not meaningfully changed over the past 40 years,” making the study’s results particularly significant.