Push to prevent ovarian cancer with simple surgical step

10 September 2025 | Cancer | Gynaecology

A simple step during routine surgery could prevent thousands of women from developing ovarian cancer. The Women’s Associate Professor Orla McNally is leading efforts to reduce this risk through a change in surgical practice.

Research now shows that most ovarian cancers begin in the fallopian tubes, and not in the ovaries.

This finding has opened the door to prevention. If the tubes are removed when women are already having another operation in the lower abdomen, the risk of ovarian cancer can be dramatically reduced.

A/Prof. McNally is the Director of Gynaecological Oncology at the Women’s. She says the evidence is clear and the opportunity too important to miss.

“We don’t have a reliable screening test for ovarian cancer. Ultrasounds and blood tests don’t pick it up early enough. But removing the tubes at the time of another surgery is safe and could prevent many women ever developing the disease,” she said.

A recent study found that one in four women diagnosed with the most aggressive form of ovarian cancer had previously missed the chance to have their tubes removed during earlier surgeries.

“That’s a sobering statistic,” A/Prof. McNally said.

The approach, known as “opportunistic salpingectomy”, is already being adopted in Canada and parts of Europe.

Opportunistic means the tubes are removed during another planned operation. This can be a hysterectomy, tubal ligation, or even surgery for a hernia, appendix or gallbladder.

In Australia, the Women’s is at the forefront of efforts to make it routine practice. It has already secured ethics approval to begin research into how Australian women and surgeons view the procedure.

Some women may worry that removing the tubes might cause early menopause, but research shows no impact on ovarian function.

For those who have finished their families and are considering permanent contraception, A/Prof. McNally says tube removal should be offered as the best option.

“It’s a small change in practice, but it could save lives. The message for women is simple: if you’re having abdominal or pelvic surgery, ask whether your fallopian tubes can be removed at the same time.”