This surgical prevention of ovarian cancer is gaining attention – but it’s not for everyone
September 15, 2026
Removing a woman’s fallopian tubes to prevent ovarian cancer is in the spotlight after a recent article in The New York Times1.
While it’s true that the procedure could save many women’s lives and should continue to be investigated for those it could help, it’s important to note it’s not a cure or prevention, because it is not appropriate for all women. Rather, fallopian tube removal is one part of a complex solution needed for the most lethal gynaecological cancer, which only one in two women will survive beyond five years.
Why are we talking about this now?
A discovery almost 20 years ago changed the trajectory of ovarian cancer research and treatment – the research showed that many ovarian cancers begin in the fallopian tubes, not the ovaries themselves. This has presented a significant opportunity for prevention without inducing surgical menopause, by removing the fallopian tubes and preserving the ovaries.
The New York Times article discusses a new clinical trial underway in the US. This study is a partnership between Break Through Cancer (a foundation in Cambridge, Massachusetts), and the American Cancer Society, who are conducting the study at three sites: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York City), MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, Texas) and Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore, Maryland). The article explains that every woman scheduled for abdominal surgery at the centres will be offered the chance to learn about ovarian cancer and elect to have her tubes removed during the scheduled surgery, which she can decline.
In addition, the article notes the American Cancer Society is working on a national campaign to make more women and doctors aware that tube removal can help prevent most ovarian cancers.
This procedure, offered at the time of other abdominal surgery and preserving the ovaries, is known as ‘opportunistic salpingectomy’ (OS). Investigations are also underway in Australia to determine if it is something that could be offered as a part of routine care to women.
Where else is this available?
Hospitals in Canada and parts of Europe are already including this as a common practice. The studies underway in the US and Australia are part of efforts to move evidence-based research that has been published, off the page and into clinical practice.
So what is the evidence?
The latest research into fallopian tube removal to prevent ovarian cancer includes two 2026 Canadian studies, which between them report a 53 per cent to 78 per cent reduction in serous ovarian cancer risk.23 Combined, these two studies included nearly 400,000 women – and are therefore among the largest studies of their kind, providing strong evidence for this prevention strategy. The reduction applies specifically to serous ovarian cancer, which accounts for roughly seven in 10 ovarian cancer cases.
Another study found that one in four women diagnosed with aggressive ovarian cancer had missed the chance to have their tubes removed during a previous surgery4.
In the absence of an early diagnostic or screening test, this preventative measure has the potential to save many lives.
Support for opportunistic salpingectomy
Since its introduction in 2010, OS is now globally recognised and recommended by medical organisations in 24 countries.
Australia’s clinical OS guidelines (from The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists) dates to 2009, among the earliest globally. However, the guidelines don’t equate to clinical uptake of the procedure. The closest data available is around removal of ovary and/or tube, rather than tube-only procedures.
This data shows that during the period 2001 to 2015, rates of these procedures rose from approximately 31% to 65% in women aged 35–54, and 44% to 58% in women aged 55–74. The increase was concentrated after 2011.5 The researchers attribute this result to accumulating evidence at the time linking the fallopian tube to ovarian cancer origin.
What’s happening in Australia?
The Royal Women’s Hospital Victoria is researching how Australian women and surgeons view the procedure, in a push to make it routine practice.
A survey of 40 Australian surgeons not specialised in gynaecology found that while most reported general familiarity with OS, specific knowledge of technique, complications, and patient selection was limited. Confidence in performing the procedure more than doubled following a brief educational intervention. Further research gathering women's perspectives on the procedure is planned.
Fallopian tube removal is considered low risk
Ovarian cancer has a 49% five-year survival rate, far below other cancers such as breast cancer which is 93%. Any preventative methods that are shown to be safe and practical should be embraced, and the OCRF encourages efforts to produce evidence that fallopian tube removal can be recommended as routine practice when it’s appropriate.
The research is clear – removing the fallopian tubes during another planned abdominal or pelvic surgery like a hysterectomy, hernia repair, appendectomy, or tubal ligation is safe and doesn’t add major risk to the main surgery while significantly reducing the risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Who is it for?
Removing the fallopian tubes, at the same time as another abdominal procedure, is not appropriate for every woman. It’s only recommended for women at normal risk of ovarian cancer who are undergoing another planned abdominal surgery and no longer want to have children. It’s not recommended as a standalone procedure for women at normal risk of ovarian cancer.
Who it isn’t for
While it reduces the risk of the most common subtypes of serous epithelial ovarian cancer which originate in the fallopian tubes, it won’t prevent rarer subtypes that start in the ovaries themselves.
High-grade serous cancer typically originates in the fallopian tube and is the subtype for which OS has the strongest supporting evidence.
Endometrioid and clear cell subtypes are associated with endometriosis and may be partly reduced, as the fallopian tube can act as a conduit for affected cells reaching the ovary. Mucinous cancer does not appear to originate in or transit through the tube; OS is not expected to reduce its incidence.
OS is not the recommended pathway for BRCA1/2 carriers or other high-risk women, who are directed to the risk-reducing removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries – a procedure called salpingo-oophorectomy – instead.
- Kolata G. Most ‘ovarian cancer’ isn’t. And that fact can save lives. The New York Times. July 28, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/health/ovarian-cancer-fallopian-tubes.html
- Bahrami F, McLeod J, Pearce CL, et al. Effectiveness of opportunistic bilateral salpingectomy in preventing epithelial ovarian cancer: a population-based study. JNCI. 2026. https://academic.oup.com/jnci/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jnci/djag251/8747163
- Sowamber R, Mei AJ, Kaur P, et al. Serous ovarian cancer following opportunistic bilateral salpingectomy. JAMA Network Open. 2026;9(2):e2557267. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2557267
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40802262/
- De Cure N, Robson SJ. Changes in hysterectomy route and adnexal removal for benign disease in Australia 2001–2015: a national population-based study. Minimally Invasive Surgery. 2018;2018:5828071. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5828071
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