Fallopian Tube Cancer

Treatment

The treatment options for fallopian tube cancer are:

• Surgery: Surgery is a preferred treatment option in patients with fallopian tube cancer limited to the fallopian tube or surrounding tissues. During surgery, the abnormal cells are removed from the fallopian tube, abdomen, pelvis, and lymph nodes through surgery and are sent for laboratory examination. The surgeries for fallopian tube cancer are:
  Total hysterectomy: Total hysterectomy involves the removal of the uterus and cervix along with fallopian tubes and nearby lymph nodes suspected to have abnormal cells. Women could not get pregnant after a total hysterectomy.
  Salpingo-oophorectomy: This surgery is performed to remove the fallopian tubes or ovaries. A unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy removes only one fallopian tube and an ovary. If both the ovaries and fallopian tubes are removed, the surgery is bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.
  Surgical debulking: This surgical intervention removes the significant fallopian tube cancer cells.
  Palliative surgery: Palliative surgery is performed in patients with advanced fallopian tube cancer. Palliative surgery aims not to completely treat the disease but rather to relieve cancer symptoms.
• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy involves the delivery of drugs that kills cancer cells. The chemotherapy drugs may be administered orally, intravenously, or intraperitoneally. Chemotherapy may be given before and after the surgery. When given before the surgery, it is known as neoadjuvant therapy, and delivered after the surgery is known as adjuvant therapy. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is reserved for patients with fallopian tube cancer spread to the abdominal organs. Chemotherapy may also be a component in the palliative care strategy for relieving cancer symptoms in patients with advanced cancer.
• Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy alone is not a usual treatment for fallopian tube cancer. It is included in the treatment plan in combination with surgery or chemotherapy. The types of radiation therapy for fallopian tube cancer include brachytherapy, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), conformal radiation therapy, and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).
• Targeted therapy: Cancer cells have specific molecules, such as genes, enzymes, or proteins, which carry essential functions. Targeted therapy targets these molecules, thereby preventing their growth and division. In addition, these drugs target the molecules that help the cancer cells divide, repair DNA, or form new blood vessels.
• Hormonal therapy: Hormonal therapy may be combined with other treatment options, such as surgery. Hormonal therapy is considered effective due to hormones' influence on the epithelium of fallopian tubes.