All cases of cancer of the fallopian tubes can be treated. Treatments will
depend on the age of the patient, the type of tumour and the stage of the
tumour. There are generally two types of treatment used for cancer of the
fallopian tubes: surgery, and chemotherapy.
If the disease has spread beyond one fallopian tube, as is usually the case,
then generally the treatment will be to leave the patient with no visible
evidence of disease. This will usually require a hysterectomy,
removal of both tubes and ovaries (a bilateral
salpingo-oophorectomy), removal of the omentum and multiple
biopsies. If it is an advanced disease (i.e. Stage III) then bowel
resections may be required. Following surgery chemotherapy will be required.
Surgery for cancer of the fallopian tubes is a major operation. The patient
will generally be in hospital for anywhere from 7-14 days depending on how fast
she recovers from the surgery and whether or not she receives her first dose of chemotherapy
while still in hospital.
Pain relief after surgery is usually very good. Most patients will have both
an epidural and a
general
anaesthetic for their surgery. This means that they wake up more quickly and
recover more easily. The epidural can be left in for 3 days, during which time
it will continue to provide pain relief. When it is removed, other medication
may be given for pain relief, but by then the worst of the pain will have
passed.
Follow-up
It is important that patients have proper follow-up after care following
treatment for cancer of the fallopian tubes. These check-ups will generally
involve a physical examination and a laboratory blood test called a CA
125 assay. Often the CA 125 level in a patient's blood is high before
treatment and falls during surgery and chemotherapy. If the CA 125 level begins
to rise again, it may be an indicator that the cancer has recurred. However,
there may be other reasons, unrelated to cancer, for the CA 125 level to rise.
The usual follow-up protocol is to be seen:
