Fallopian Tube Cancer

What Is It?

The fallopian tubes are the passageways that connect the ovaries and the uterus. Fallopian tube cancer occurs when cells in the fallopian tubes multiply out of control and form a tumor. As this tumor grows, it can eventually press against the inside of the fallopian tube, stretching the tube and causing pelvic pain. Over time, the tumor can eventually spread throughout the pelvis and abdomen.

Fallopian tube cancer is very rare. It accounts for less than 1% of all cancers of the female reproductive organs. Only 1,500 to 2,000 cases have been reported worldwide, primarily in postmenopausal women. It is more common for cancer to spread to a fallopian tube from elsewhere in the body (usually the ovary or endometrium) than for a new cancer to develop in the fallopian tube.

Scientists don't know whether any environmental or lifestyle factors increase the risk of this cancer. Researchers are looking at the possibility that there might be some inherited (genetic) tendency to develop the illness. There is some evidence that women who inherit a mutation in the BRCA1 gene, a gene already linked to breast and ovarian cancer, seem to have an increased risk of developing fallopian tube cancer.

Symptoms

Symptoms of fallopian tube cancer can include:

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding, especially after menopause
• Abdominal pain or a feeling of pressure in the abdomen
• Abnormal vaginal discharge (white, clear or pinkish)

These symptoms also are caused by other gynecological problems.

Diagnosis

Because fallopian tube cancer is so rare, and its symptoms can be similar to the symptoms of other problems, your doctor may suspect that you have some other gynecological problem. Because of this, your doctor may ask you questions to evaluate your risk for gynecological infections, ovarian tumors or endometrial cancer. These conditions have symptoms similar to fallopian tube cancer and are more common than fallopian tube cancer.

A doctor may suspect fallopian tube cancer if he or she feels an abnormal mass during an internal pelvic exam. A pelvic ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) scan may show an abnormal growth in the area of the tube.

In most cases, women don't learn that they have fallopian tube cancer until a fallopian tube has been removed surgically to treat another illness or problem and is examined in a laboratory.

Expected Duration

Once it develops, fallopian tube cancer continues to grow until it is removed. Without surgery, fallopian tube cancer can spread to other organs in the pelvis and abdomen.

Prevention

Because the risk factors for fallopian tube cancer are unknown, there is no way to prevent it. However, blood tests might some day identify women who are more likely to develop fallopian tube cancer or ovarian cancer. These screening tests may identify BRCA1 mutations.

Treatment

Treatment for fallopian tube cancer includes surgery and chemotherapy. The extent of surgery depends on the how far the tumor has spread. If the tumor is contained in the fallopian tube, the surgeon will remove the fallopian tubes, ovaries and uterus (a hysterectomy). If the tumor has spread to larger areas of the reproductive tract, pelvic lymph nodes and other involved tissue may need to be removed. Chemotherapy typically includes paclitaxel (Taxol) and cisplatin (Platinol).

When To Call A Professional

Call your family doctor or gynecologist if you have abnormal vaginal bleeding, persistent or severe abdominal or pelvic pain, or abnormal vaginal discharge. In particular, a woman who has entered menopause should contact her doctor right away if she begins to have vaginal bleeding or a pinkish vaginal discharge.

Prognosis

The outlook depends on how deeply the cancer has invaded the fallopian tube. If the cancer is limited to the tube's inner lining the prognosis is excellent, with 91% of women surviving for at least 5 years after diagnosis. However, if the cancer has penetrated the wall of the fallopian tube, then the 5-year survival rate drops to 53%. For tumors that have spread through the wall to the tube's outer surface, the 5-year survival rate is less than 25%.

Additional Info

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

U.S. National Institutes of Health

Public Inquiries Office

Building 31, Room 10A03

31 Center Drive, MSC 8322

Bethesda, MD 20892-2580

Phone: (301) 435-3848

Toll-Free: (800) 422-6237

TTY: (800) 332-8615

E-Mail: cancergovstaff@mail.nih.gov

http://www.nci.nih.gov/

American Cancer Society (ACS)

1599 Clifton Road, NE

Atlanta, GA 30329-4251

Toll-Free: (800) 227-2345

http://www.cancer.org/

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

P.O. Box 96920

Washington, DC 20090-6920

Phone: (202) 638-5577

http://www.acog.org/

National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC)

8550 Arlington Blvd.

Suite 300

Fairfax, VA 22031

Toll-Free: (800) 994-9662

TTY: (888) 220-5446

http://www.4woman.org/