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Review
. 2016 May 2:6:108.
doi: 10.3389/fonc.2016.00108. eCollection 2016.

Ovarian Cancer: The Fallopian Tube as the Site of Origin and Opportunities for Prevention

Sophia H L George  1 , Ruslan Garcia  2 , Brian M Slomovitz  1
Affiliations
Review

Ovarian Cancer: The Fallopian Tube as the Site of Origin and Opportunities for Prevention

Sophia H L George et al. Front Oncol. .

Abstract

High-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is the most common and aggressive histotype of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), and it is the predominant histotype associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC). Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 are responsible for most of the known causes of HBOC, while mutations in mismatch repair genes and several genes of moderate penetrance are responsible for the remaining known hereditary risk. Women with a history of familial ovarian cancer or with known germline mutations in highly penetrant genes are offered the option of risk-reducing surgery that involves the removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes (salpingo-oophorectomy). Growing evidence now supports the fallopian tube epithelia as an etiological site for the development of HGSC and consequently, salpingectomy alone is emerging as a prophylactic option. This review discusses the site of origin of EOC, the rationale for risk-reducing salpingectomy in the high-risk population, and opportunities for salpingectomy in the low-risk population.

Keywords: BRCA1; BRCA2; fallopian tubes; ovarian cancers; salpingectomy.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) High-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is the most common histologic type of cancer seen in the ovaries, fallopian tube, and peritoneum. (B) The fallopian tubes may act as a possible conduit for retrograde menstrual flow, which is theorized to induce the malignant transformation of cells via oxidative stress, inflammation, and hyperestrogenism. Further, endometriosis has been strongly linked with endometrioid ovarian carcinoma and clear cell ovarian carcinoma.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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