Vancouver Sun Reports on New Italian Study that backs B.C.-led Ovarian Cancer Prevention Procedure
May 24, 2013 - Pamela Fayerman with the Vancouver Sun reports on a new Italian study that deems the B.C.-led initiative to change surgical practice to prevent ovarian cancer is safe.
In September 2010, OVCARE gynecologic experts led by Drs. Dianne Miller and Sarah Finlayson launched an ovarian cancer prevention campaign aimed at gynecologists in B.C. recommending a change in surgical and clinical practice with hopes of reducing the incidence of ovarian cancer by up to 50% over the next 20 years. They asked that gynecologists consider removing the fallopian tubes at the time of hysterectomy and in place of tubal ligation, and to refer all women diagnosed with ovarian cancer to undergo genetic testing (BRCA1/2). To read more on this initiative, click here.
The Italian study by Morelli et al. published Thursday in the medical journal Gynecologic Oncology reports no negative effects of preventative removal of the fallopian tube when comparing women undergoing hysterectomy alone to women undergoing hysterectomy and bilateral salpingectomy (removal of both fallopian tubes). They found no difference in ovarian function between the patient groups. They also found no difference in surgical risk between the patient groups.
The authors of the Italian study also report, "Considering that in developed countries, hysterectomy is the second most frequently performed surgical intervention among women of reproductive age...it is clear that a strong rationale exists to justify the British Columbia Ovarian Cancer Prevention Project....we wonder if it is ethically justified not to counsel our patients about the possibility of a simple preventative strategy, such as salpingectomy."
In the same June issue of Gynecologic Oncology, a guest editorial by OVCARE's Drs. Miller and Blake Gilks noted that approximately 50% of gynecologists now discuss the option of removal of the fallopian tubes with their pre-menopausal patients when planning hysterectomy for benign conditions suggesting that there has already been a dramatic change in practice.
To read more, visit:
Italian study by Morelli et al. - Gynecologic Oncology June 2013 issue
Guest editorial by Miller and Gilks - Gynecologic Oncology June 2013 issue
