What Is Fallopian Tube Cancer?
The fallopian tubes constitute the passageways connecting the uterus with the ovaries. Fallopian tube cancer takes place in the situation that cells in the fallopian tubes uncontrollably and create a tumor. While the tumor is growing, it may finally press against the inside of the fallopian tube, stretching the tube and resulting in serious pelvic pain. Sooner or later, the tumor finally spreads all over the pelvis and abdomen.
Fallopian tube cancer happens extremely seldom. It constitutes less than 1 per cent of all cases of cancers of the female reproductive organs. Only 1,500 to 2,000 cases have been observed and registered all over the world, mostly in postmenopausal women. It is more widespread for this cancer to spread to a fallopian tube from elsewhere in the body (normally the ovary or endometrium) than for a new cancer to appear in the fallopian tube.
The specialists have still not discovered whether any environmental or lifestyle factors escalate the risk of this type of cancer. The experts are constantly investigating the possibility of some inherited (genetic) tendency to experience this disease. Some evidence exists that confirms that women who inherit a mutation in the BRCA1 gene (this gene is associated with breast and ovarian cancer), seem to be at greater risk of experiencing fallopian tube cancer.
Symptoms of Fallopian Tube Cancer
The classic and most common symptoms of fallopian tube cancer include:
* Abnormal vaginal bleeding, particularly after menopause
* Abdominal pain or a feeling of pressure in the area of the abdomen
* Abnormal vaginal discharge (white, clear or pinkish)
These symptoms may also result from other gynecological problems.
Diagnosis
Due to the fact that fallopian tube cancer happens so rarely, and its symptoms may be quite comparable to the symptoms of other conditions, your healthcare provider may suppose that you suffer from some other gynecological problem. Due to this, you may be asked by your physician several questions to assess your risk for gynecological infections, ovarian tumors or endometrial cancer. These conditions reveal symptoms that are similar to the symptoms of fallopian tube cancer and they appear more frequently than fallopian tube cancer.
Your physician may also suspect fallopian tube cancer if he or she feels an abnormal mass in the course of an internal pelvic exam. A pelvic ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) scan may demonstrate an anomalous growth in the area of the tube.
In the majority of cases, women are not aware of the fact that they have fallopian tube cancer until a fallopian tube has been removed by the surgery to treat another disease or problem and is examined in a laboratory.
Expected Duration
As soon as it appears, fallopian tube cancer keeps on growing until it is removed. Without surgery, fallopian tube cancer may extend to other organs in the area of pelvis and abdomen.
Prevention
Due to the fact that the risk factors for fallopian tube cancer are not exactly known, it is impossible to prevent it. Nonetheless, blood tests might one day identify women who have a bigger probability to experience fallopian tube cancer or ovarian cancer. These screening examinations may ascertain BRCA1 mutations.
Treatment
The possible treatment methods for the fallopian tube cancer include: surgery and chemotherapy. The area of surgery is dependent on how far the tumor has already spread. If the tumor is limited to the fallopian tube, the surgeons will remove only the fallopian tubes, ovaries and uterus (a hysterectomy). But if it happened that the tumor had expanded to bigger areas of the reproductive tract, both pelvic lymph nodes and other implicated tissue may have to be removed. Chemotherapy usually includes paclitaxel (Taxol) and cisplatin (Platinol).
When To Contact A Specialist
If you observe abnormal vaginal bleeding, constant or serious abdominal, pelvic pain, or abnormal vaginal discharge contact your healthcare provider or gynecologist immediately. Especially, a woman who has already experienced menopausal symptoms ought to consult her physician without hesitation if she begins to have vaginal bleeding or a pinkish vaginal discharge.
Prognosis
The outlook is dependent on how deeply cancer has penetrated the fallopian tube. If it is restricted to the tube’s inner lining the forecast is very promising, with 91 per cent of women surviving for at least five years after being diagnosed. Nevertheless, if the cancer has already invaded even the wall of the fallopian tube, then the 5-year survival rate decreases sharply to 53 per cent. For tumors that have spread through the wall to the tube’s outer surface, the 5-year rate of survival is even less than 25%. Per cent.
