This page was reviewed under our medical and editorial policy by
Ruchi Garg, MD, Chair, Gynecologic Oncology, City of Hope Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix
This page was reviewed on May 9, 2022.
The fallopian tubes are part of the female reproductive system. They help move eggs from the ovaries to the uterus during the monthly ovulation process. Most women are born with two fallopian tubes. A rare type of gynecological cancer may develop within the fallopian tubes.
Often, the cancer that begins in the fallopian tubes is bundled with ovarian cancer terminology, just as peritoneal cancer of gynecologic origin is.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with fallopian tube cancer, the information below may help.
Fallopian tube cancers may develop for genetic, spontaneous or other environmental reasons.
Some risk factors may increase a woman's chances of developing fallopian tube cancer, including:
There’s evidence that some factors may lower a woman’s reproductive cancer risk. These include:
It’s important to note that having certain risk factors doesn’t mean a person will or won’t develop fallopian tube cancer.
Fallopian tube cancer shares symptoms with both ovarian and peritoneal cancer. Symptoms that may indicate fallopian tube cancer include:
Because many of these symptoms can have other causes, it’s sometimes difficult to diagnose fallopian tube cancer in its earliest stages. If you have these any of these symptoms and they persist, schedule a doctor’s appointment and undergo evaluation.
Because there’s currently no screening program for fallopian tube cancers, many patients aren’t diagnosed until the later stages. Some of these cancers, though, are incidentally diagnosed during prophylactic surgeries performed for hereditary reasons.
If fallopian tube cancer is suspected, doctors have access to a number of diagnostic tests to examine the patient. Below are the most commonly used procedures.
Physical examination: During this gynecologic exam, the doctor performs a speculum and digital vaginal and rectal exam.
Tumor marker tests: Blood tests, such as the CA-125 test, look for tumor markers. These are biomarkers found in blood, produced by cancer cells.
Imaging scans: Procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), transvaginal ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) scans allow doctors to look for tumors inside the body.
If any of the diagnostic tools indicate that cancer might be present, a biopsy is performed. During a biopsy, a sample of tissue is removed and examined under a microscope for cancer cells. This is the only way to diagnose fallopian tube cancer. Many times, biopsy is performed via surgery, but when surgery is not recommended, especially with more advanced cancers that cannot be completely removed with surgery, an image-guided biopsy may be performed by a radiologist.
After a fallopian tube cancer diagnosis, a care team will talk the patient through the most appropriate treatment options—taking into account the stage of cancer, personal preferences and factors such as other preexisting health conditions. Some of the most common treatment options include:
Surgery is performed to remove the affected fallopian tube or tubes, ovaries and uterus. The extent of the surgery depends on the size of the tumor and whether it has spread to other parts of the body.
Chemotherapy uses medication to kill cancer cells, and it may be recommended after surgery to help ensure no cancer cells remain in the body.
Each cancer treatment has possible side effects, so patients should always discuss this matter with their care team. Working together, patients and their doctors can make appropriate decisions for health and quality of life.
According to the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database:
For all fallopian tube cancers, the overall five-year relative survival rate is 57 percent.
However, it should be noted that each situation is unique and new treatments are regularly improving survival rates and quality of life.