Fallopian tube cancer

Fallopian tube cancer is a type of cancer that begins in one or both of the fallopian tubes.

The fallopian tubes are part of your reproductive system. Each month, when you have your period, an egg passes from your ovaries along your fallopian tubes to your uterus (womb). 

Causes

We’re not exactly sure what causes someone to get fallopian tube cancer. However, there are common factors, known as risk factors, that increase the chance of getting it. They include:

• being older - most people with fallopian tube cancer are over 50
• never having had children
• having several close blood relatives who’ve had ovarian, breast, endometrial, or colorectal cancer
• inheriting a faulty gene, llike BRCA1 or BRCA2
• having Lynch syndrome, also called or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer or HNPCC.

Fallopian tube cancer can affect anyone with fallopian tubes including women, transgender, and gender-diverse people.
Each year, about 70 Australians are diagnosed with fallopian tube cancer.  

Symptoms

In the early stages, fallopian tube cancer may not cause any noticeable symptoms. When symptoms do appear, they can include:

• swelling in your abdomen (tummy)
• pain in your abdomen and back
• loss of appetite or feeling full quickly
• changes to your toilet patterns, like needing to wee often or urgently, or changes to your bowel habits (poo)
• unexplained weight loss or gain  
• indigestion or heartburn
• tiredness
• watery discharge from the vagina.

See your doctor if you have any of these symptoms and they don’t go away or are unusual for you.

Diagnosis

If you think you might have fallopian tube cancer:

• see your doctor, nurse, or gynaecologist
• discuss any changes you’ve noticed in your body 
• let them know if you or anyone in your family has had cancer or been tested for genetic faults.

During your visit, they will likely:

• ask you about your medical history
• examine your pelvis by pushing on the outside of your abdomen and putting two fingers inside your vagina to feel the shape, size, and position of your fallopian tubes and other pelvic organs
• do a blood test
• arrange an MRI or CT scan of your abdomen and pelvis.

If the results suggest fallopian tube cancer, you’ll be referred to a gynaecologic oncologist. This is a doctor who specialises in diagnosing and treating cancers of the reproductive system.

Depending on the results of your tests, surgery called a laparotomy might recommended. During this surgery, the doctor makes a small cut in your abdomen so they can look at the organs in your abdomen and pelvis. 

If they find cancer, they’ll start treatment immediately by removing any cancer they can.

Sometimes, doctors will recommend taking a sample of fluid (abdominal paracentesis) or tissue (core biopsy), possibly from the ovary.

All of these tests tell us more about your cancer, so you can receive the most suitable treatment.

Treatment

The type of treatment you receive and how well it works will depend on:

• the size of the cancer and how far it has spread (stage of cancer)
• how quickly it’s growing and how different it looks from normal cells (grade of cancer)
• where in the fallopian tubes it started (type of cancer)
• your age, health, and medical history.

Your doctors will discuss these things with you and help choose the best possible treatment for your particular cancer, lifestyle, and wishes.

They’ll recommend one or more of the following options.

Surgery

Surgery may be needed to remove one or both of your fallopian tubes. 

Your uterus and cervix may also be removed (a total hysterectomy), as well as your ovaries (an oophorectomy), lymph nodes, and your omentum (the fatty tissue covering the organs in your abdomen). 

These operations are usually done immediately after cancer is diagnosed during a laparotomy. 

If the cancer has spread to other parts of your body, you may need more surgery to remove affected areas, for example, part of your bowel.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy (or chemo) is medicine that aims to control or kill the cancer. The medicine is usually given through an IV or drip, slowly releasing it into your body over a couple of hours.

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy uses radiation to control or kill the cancer. You will lie near a machine that directs radiation beams straight at your cancer.

Who can you talk to?

The word ‘cancer’ is scary. Getting support can help manage that fear. Close friends and family may be a good starting place. 

Or you may get help from professional counsellors who can support you through the cancer journey.

If you’re a patient at the Women’s, the gynae-oncology team, which includes nurses, doctors, psychologists, and social workers, will provide counselling and practical support. 

If you’re not a patient at the Women’s, Counterpart and Cancer Council Victoria can connect you with experts and other people who’ve had cancer.  

Questions to ask

• How big is my cancer and where exactly is it?
• Is my child more likely to have fallopian tube cancer if I do? 
• What if I still want to have children?
• What will my abdomen look like after treatment?
• Will treatment stop my periods and start menopause?
• What are the side effects of the treatment you’re recommending?
• Why is the treatment you’re recommending the best option for me?
• Will I still be able to have sex?
• How often will I need to have check-ups?
• Can you write down what you’ve told me so I can read it later??

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