Intergroup statement: opportunistic salpingectomy—molecular pathology, clinical outcomes and implications for practice (German Ovarian Cancer Commission, the North-Eastern German Society of Gynecologic Oncology (NOGGO), AGO Austria and AGO Swiss)

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Martin Pölcher - , Red Cross Hospital Munich (Author)
  • Pauline Wimberger - , Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Author)
  • Ivo Meinhold-Heerlein - , Justus Liebig University Giessen (Author)
  • Ingo Runnebaum - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Susanne Schüler-Toprak - , University of Regensburg (Author)
  • Sven Mahner - , Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Author)
  • Christoph Grimm - , Medical University of Vienna (Author)
  • Viola Heinzelmann-Schwarz - , University of Basel (Author)
  • Annette Hasenburg - , Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Author)
  • Jalid Sehouli - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)

Abstract

Opportunistic salpingectomy is defined as the removal of both fallopian tubes as part of a surgical procedure planned for other reasons. The goal is primary prevention of ovarian cancer. The procedure is offered to patients who are not known to be at increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. This is in contrast to high-risk patients with a germline mutation, particularly BRCA1/2, for whom risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy is generally recommended. Premalignant cells and early occult cancers have been detected in RRSO specimens in the fimbrial funnel region, but not on the ovarian surface. The presence of mitoses, nuclear atypia, and staining in response to p53 mutation in these serous intraepithelial carcinomas (STIC) indicates the initial genetic changes in the fallopian tube mucosa that subsequently lead to the development of advanced peritoneal carcinomas. The identification of STICs has challenged the traditional view of the pathogenesis of the largest subset of epithelial ovarian cancers, namely the high-grade serous cancers of the ovary, fallopian tubes, and peritoneum. In a position statement published in 2015, the German Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie (AGO) Kommission Ovar recommended that patients be informed of the latest findings on the development and potential benefits of bilateral salpingectomy at the time of hysterectomy. This may reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer later in life. However, the scientific evidence has not been deemed sufficient to justify a general recommendation. In the same year, the Austrian AGO published a statement recommending the broad use of opportunistic salpingectomy without reservation. This review examines the current status of molecular pathology studies, recent evidence on the clinical implications of STIC, new data on the use of opportunistic salpingectomy, and published patient outcomes since then. The question of whether the potential benefit of opportunistic salpingectomy, outweighs the potential harms associated with surgical morbidity, which have not been conclusively excluded, should be revisited in light of these recent data.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1451-1459
Number of pages9
JournalArchives of gynecology and obstetrics
Volume311
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - May 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 40172609

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Opportunistic salpingectomy, Ovarian cancer, Prevention, STIC